The state government has dropped draft maps for 25 so-called “activity centres” where new homes will be built, stretching from bayside to the burbs, with a simple pitch – stack more homes where the transport already is.
By 2051, the plan is to squeeze in more than 300,000 extra homes. The first wave zones includes: Carnegie, Oakleigh and Tottenham on the new Metro Tunnel; Hawthorn, Glenferrie and Auburn on the Belgrave/Lilydale line; bayside stops from North Brighton through to Sandringham; and Brunswick and Coburg, backed by the 19 tram and a soon-to-be beefed-up Upfield line. Heidelberg’s in, too, thanks to its recently duplicated line.
The rules split each centre into two layers. Right on the station’s doorstep – the “core” – developers can go taller, six to 16 storeys depending on the spot. By meeting the rules, projects will be able skip the usual VCAT approvals headaches. Step back a block or two and things calm down: four to six storeys within a five-minute walk, three to four stories by the ten-minute mark. The idea is towers at the centre, townhouses and mid-rise as you fan out.
Heritage overlays and landscape protections stay put, and residents in the catchment zones can still object. But the government’s clear: this isn’t a free-for-all, and it’s not the same recipe everywhere.
Consultation kicks off through September and October. Locals will get a crack at the details including heights, setbacks and boundaries before anything locks in. The first ten pilot centres copped 3,000 submissions and some map-tweaks followed, so the government’s promising the same again.
For more information on draft maps, visit: engage.vic.gov.au/activity-centres-program.
