Channel 9 has officially announced that their 2025 season of The Block will be filmed in Daylesford, confirming this week that five new highly sustainable pavilion-style homes are to be built along Raglan Street at the eastern entry to the town, as part of its popular TV series.

The Block is a reality television series broadcast on the Nine Network. The series will follow five couples as they compete against each other to design, build and fit out the homes in Raglan Street and sell them at auction for the highest price.

Locals will have noticed that preparations at the site are proceeding. Excavation of the site is well underway and barricades were erected on Midland Highway earlier this week in preparation for civil engineering works.

The Raglan Street site was originally planned for the 2024 season of The Block but delays in approvals required the renovation show planners to pivot to a site at Phillip Island.

Hepburn Council approved a planning permit for the development at 1 and 9 Raglan Street in April 2023.

However the approval was challenged in VCAT by objectors. Given the potential delays to the project, the developer, Hygge Property, applied to the Planning Minister, Sonya Kilkenny, seeking ministerial intervention.

The Minister called in the applications and and approved the development in November 2023 but the decision came too late for plans by The Block producers to proceed in 2024.

The project is part of the Middleton Field masterplan which consists of over 60 home sites. The masterplan includes 10 percent of the development as affordable and social housing.

Hygge sold the five 2,400sqm lots to Channel 9 earlier this year through agents Ashlee McKee and Natalie Fagan from Belle Property, Daylesford.

In addition to focussing on the planning, working and arguing by contestants The Block series has a history of highlighting local businesses and local charitable organisations. The 2025 season of The Block will bring 10 to 12 weeks of high-profile exposure to Daylesford with shows throughout each week documenting the progress of each of the teams of contestants.

Many Daylesford businesses are excited about the exposure that the program will bring to the town and many of them wrote to local member Mary-Anne Thomas urging her support for the Nine Network proposal when VCAT was considering objections to the proposal.

Will Walton, principal of Belle Property Daylesford, said that the program will bring even greater awareness of Daylesford as a desirable destination. “Let’s face it – this is a tourist town,” he said. “This town exists because it has been a tourist destination since the beginning of the last century. But there are still people who don’t know about it and this show will bring some welcome exposure.”

“It’s a very exciting place for us to bring The Block to Daylesford,” said Nine executive producer, Julian Cress. “It’s been a destination for Australian and international tourists for a century now, and it has really cemented itself as one of the top weekend destinations in the country.”

“Phillip Island has taught us that taking the show to a place which is a holiday destination is great for The Block and the Island, and we hope it will be great for Daylesford as well.”

“Daylesford will provide a picturesque backdrop for the filming of The Block,” said Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, “and it is anticipated that the production will generate a boost for the local economy. We would strongly encourage producers, contestants and the support crew to shop and eat local to ensure economic benefits flow back into our community.”

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The Block – a Win or a Loss?

Minister Fast Tracks Raglan Street Development