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Melbourne is moving forward with new planning rules to increase density in 10 major suburbs, with the state government now asking for community feedback on the plan.
The new rules, which are currently in the works, target the 10 suburbs of Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie-Keilor Road, Essendon North, Preston-High Street, and Ringwood. And while the government has not yet said exactly what the changes will be, it’s clear that the target is to increase the height limit of buildings in these areas to allow for greater density.
The government has said in its housing statement, which lays out plans for building over the coming years, that it will make sure new homes are build “up, not just out”. The 10 Melbourne suburbs targeted are key in these increased density plans.
Each area has been broken down into what the government is calling an “activity centre” – meaning the area that is most primed for development due to its proximity to community amenities as well as transit, which are key in the state’s plans to build more homes that are “well located”.
Outside of the activity centres, a designated “activity catchment zone” is also set to see some planning updates, albeit not as much as in the activity centre.
“As you get further from the activity centre, the amount of change and the number of new homes will decrease,” the government said.
All told, between these 10 areas, the state hopes to be able to find the space to allow for 60,000 new homes, which are hoped to contribute to the state’s ambitious plan of building 800,000 new homes across Victoria over the next 10 years.
“With Victoria being the fastest growing state in the country, these changes are crucial to accommodate Melbourne’s growing population, which is set to be the size of London’s by the 2050s,” a state release said.
Likely anticipating the strong emotions that come with proposals to increase the number of high-rises in a community, the state government sought to assure Melbournites that the government will work with local government areas to “maintain the features that communities love about their neighbourhoods”.
Even so, residents hoping to use the consultation to get the government to backtrack on its density plans in their area altogether shouldn’t get their hopes up. The government was clear that at the end of the day, it intended to find space for 60,000 new homes.
Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny, said it was important for growing affordability concerns in the city.
“As part of our landmark housing statement, we’re enabling 60,000 more homes to be built across established suburbs, ensuring more Victorians have access to affordable housing close to services, jobs and transport.”
“We want to hear from communities on how best we can accommodate more housing choice, while ensuring their suburbs maintain their liveability,” she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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