PHOTO: Jayson Sande, his wife Katya Send and their son Marcus. The family moved from the home they own in Wallan to rent in Docklands and see if they would eventually like to buy an apartment in Docklands to live in permanently. So far they love living there and are finding they have lots more time to spend as a family. Photo taken by Stephen McKenzie (0425 846 182 stephen@wordsphotosdesign.com.au) on March 13, 2020. Photo: Stephen Mckenzie

Melbourne family Jayson Sande, his wife Katya Send and their eight-year-old son Marcus are conducting an experiment. They have moved from their home in Wallan — 45 kilometres north of the CBD — to rent a Docklands apartment.

“We wanted to try and see what it’s like to live in the city for 12 months, and see if we liked [the area] and liked apartment living,” Mr Sande said.

They are part of the ever-growing population of the Melbourne CBD, Docklands and Southbank. Between 2006 and 2016, the areas swelled from a population of just over 33,000 to nearly 77,000, Census figures show. The 2020 population forecast is just over 100,000 and that number is set to more than double by 2041.

More than 21,000 dwellings have been approved since 2015 to meet — and exceed — the demand for city living, on ABS data.

The wave of new apartments prompted oversupply woes that plagued the city in recent years, but these worries are coming to an end as building approvals slow. In 2019 there were roughly half the approvals of 2015 — and experts say the inner city could face a housing shortage if more new apartments are not built to meet growing demand.

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