Population projections fall

Population projections fall

Docklands’ population will reach 17,000 by 2036, according to a report released by the City of Melbourne last month.

The Docklands Small Area Demographic Profile also suggests Docklands’ current population is almost 6000 people.

The population projection has reduced dramatically since 2012, when council’s website predicted 17,000 people would live in Docklands by 2020.

Currently, City of Melbourne’s “About Docklands” web page states Docklands will be home to around 16,000 people by 2031,

In contrast, Places Victoria’s Docklands.com website states Docklands will be home to 20,000 residents by completion in approximately 2025, while a spokesperson said its current population estimate was 9500 people.

The spokesperson said the organisation based its estimate on the number of apartments under construction and their scheduled completion dates and put the different forecast down to the use of different methodologies.

Council’s Docklands Small Area Demographic Profile, which was compiled from 2011 Census data, Council Census of Land Use and Employment (CLUE) 2010 and forecast estimates from ID consultants, reveals other interesting details about Docklands’ demography.

According to the report, Docklanders are paying both the highest rents and highest mortgages across Melbourne’s smallest areas.

The median rent in Docklands is $503 per week, while across the City of Melbourne it is $400. The median mortgage per month in Docklands is $2700 a jump from the Melbourne median, $2167.

But, it appears they can afford it, with Docklands having the third highest proportion of people earning more than $1250 per week (33 per cent of the population), only trailing behind East Melbourne and South Yarra West.

The report also reveals that 18 per cent of Docklands residents work in Docklands but the vast majority (42 per cent) work outside of the Melbourne municipality.

Of the Docklands workforce, just 2 per cent live in Docklands. Most (89 per cent) live outside the City of Melbourne but within greater Melbourne.

The report also revealed that 46 per cent of Docklands residents were born overseas, with China being the most common country of birth.

Accordingly, the most commonly spoken language in Docklands, apart from English, is Mandarin.

According to the report, the most common age range of Docklands residents is 20 to 34 years old, making up 49 per cent of the population.

Residents aged 12 to 25 years old make up 22 per cent of the population, while residents aged 60 and over make up just 9 per cent of the population.

Children aged 0 to four years old make up 4 per cent of the population, comprising just over 200 residents.

This number drops substantially in the five to 14 age-range, supporting the belief that families move out of Docklands when children reach school age due to a lack of local schools.

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