Activity Centres

The Activity Centres Program will deliver plans for 60 activity centres. Following an initial 10 activity centres, the Victorian Government announced in October 2024 the expansion of the program to include 50 additional centres located near train stations or tram lines across Melbourne. 

The initial 10 activity centres are: 

• Broadmeadows 
• Camberwell Junction 
• Chadstone 
• Epping 
• Frankston 
• Moorabbin 
• Niddrie (Keilor Road) 
• North Essendon
• Preston (High Street) 
• Ringwood 

The first 25 newly announced activity centres are: 

• The future Sunbury to Cranbourne-Pakenham line using the Metro Tunnel: 
  • Carnegie Station, Murrumbeena Station, Hughesdale Station, Oakleigh Station  
  • Middle Footscray Station, West Footscray Station, Tottenham Station 
• Belgrave/ Lilydale Line: 
  • Hawthorn Station, Glenferrie Station, Auburn Station 
  • Blackburn Station, Nunawading Station, Mitcham Station 
• Frankston Line: 
  • Toorak Village (58 tram), Toorak Station, Hawksburn Station, Armadale Station, Malvern Station 
• Sandringham Line: 
  • North Brighton Station, Middle Brighton Station, Hampton Station, Sandringham Station 
• Glen Waverly Line: 
  • Tooronga Station, Gardiner Station & Glen Iris Station (combined), Darling Station 

A further 25 activity centres will be announced in the future. 

The Activity Centre Program is about unlocking opportunities for more homes in areas that are  close to train stations and tram lines and well-connected to jobs and services . It’s about working with the community to set clear expectations around what their community could look like over the next 10, 20 and 30 years. We want to make sure that more Victorians can share in the opportunity to live in these thriving, connected communities.  And by planning for more homes, we can also make sure that we are planning for the things that growing communities need – like community services and infrastructure, and schools and kinders, as well the things that people love about their neighbourhoods – like parks, open spaces and trees.  

The program has developed a range of tools to help achieve this vision. These include:  

• Activity Centre Plans that set out the objectives for each centre and guide investment to support the needs of a growing community. A simplified approach to built form and design controls specific to each activity centre core area to minimise planning permit requirements and speed-up  good planning decisions.. 
• A gentle and appropriate approach for more homes within the surrounding area (residential areas within approximately 800 metres from the centre), encouraging a greater diversity of housing, close to transport and services, and vibrant, active neighbourhoods.  ,  
• Delivering more affordable housing by utilising strategic sites including government landholdings. 
• A streamlined planning scheme amendment pathway to enable new controls to be implemented more quickly. 

There are many activity centres across metropolitan Melbourne, which range in size and service offering. They are great places for more homes given their concentration of services, jobs and transport. They range in size, from local neighbourhood shopping strips to centres with universities and major shopping malls. The Activity Centre Program will deliver plans for an initial 60 of these. 

The Department of Transport and Planning undertook detailed analysis and modelling work to identify a list of future locations that are suitable for the program.  

The criteria used included: 

• Public transport capacity – prioritises areas with public transport capacity particularly through Big Build investment 
• Access to jobs and services – availability of schools, open space and shops 
• Market viability – ability for new homes to be delivered in short to medium term  
• Hazard risks – considers local environmental constraints such as areas with flood and bushfire risk. 

Melbourne’s train network has completely transformed over the last ten years, with more services, more than 50 new or upgraded stations, 84 level crossings removed, and the Metro Tunnel on its way next year. 

Selection of new activity centres near train stations or trams follows community feedback on the 10 draft Activity Centre Plans, where Victorians emphasised the importance of transport connections. Additionally, more than 70 upgrades to schools and kinders near each of the latest 25 centres announced have been funded by the Government since 2016. 

The 60 activity centres identified as part of the program will enable more than 360,000 new homes to be built by 2051.

Victoria’s Housing Statement, released on 20 September 2023, committed to the preparation of housing targets for local government areas.   

In June 2024, draft housing targets were released to guide councils on where future homes should be built across Victoria. They are an important step towards creating more homes in the places where people want to live and helping to facilitate 2.24 million new homes over the coming decades.  

The housing targets are designed to create more housing choice where there is existing and planned public transport, jobs and services in Melbourne and regional cities.  

The draft housing targets will be finalised in consideration of feedback received and will form part of a new plan for Victoria to set a vision for the state to 2050.   

The 60 activity centres and the walkable catchments surrounding these will need to play a key role in delivering against the Plan for Victoria’s housing targets. Through refreshed planning controls, the Activity Centres Program will provide tools to support delivering on targets in these centres.   

The draft local government area housing targets align with the draft plans that have been developed in the activity centres program.  

No. As part of our plans, only some activity centres will enable higher heights. Our plans for each centre are carefully drafted to respond appropriately to the local area. As you move away from the commercial and community ‘core’ of an activity centre, the building heights gradually decrease. In these ‘walkable catchment’ areas, a maximum of six storeys will be permitted on the largest blocks, with four storeys or less on the smaller blocks. Many existing single and double storey buildings may not change at all. Building heights are also lower in smaller activity centres, on quieter streets, and in areas with smaller blocks of land.  

No. Government is introducing clear planning controls to allow the right housing to be built in the right places. While planning regulates the location and types of new housing, property owners and developers build and deliver new housing.   

These plans will guide development of the centres over the next 25-30 years.

Victoria’s Housing Statement: The decade ahead 2024-2034, sets a target to build 800,000 homes in Victoria over the next decade by tackling the root of the problem: not enough housing choice. 

Increasing housing choice in activity centres is an initiative under the Housing Statement. Making sure that new homes are well-located will allow us to leverage investment in new infrastructure and maximise use of existing infrastructure and transport. The starting point is to look for places where more homes can be built, and the types of homes we need to suit all kinds of Victorians in all kinds of places. 

Find out more about Victoria’s Housing Statement at vic.gov.au/housing-statement. 

The Victorian Government is developing a new plan for Victoria that will set into action what our state will look like over the coming decades, out to 2050. It’ll focus on delivering more homes near transport, job opportunities and essential services in vibrant, liveable, and sustainable neighbourhoods. Find out more at engage.vic.gov.au/shape-our-victoria.  

The Government is exploring opportunities to leverage government landholdings to provide affordable housing developments with the Land Coordinator General. 

We are also reviewing State Government landholdings in Activity Centres, including opportunities to deliver more homes. Opportunity sites could include underutilised rail land, institutional uses which have relocated or have a reduced footprint or vacant/surplus sites. 

We have consulted with the local communities of the initial 10 activity centres twice in 2024. Our first public consultation was in April and May, when we asked communities what places they love in their local centres, and what makes their centres unique. In August, we released our draft activity centre plans, and asked the local communities for their feedback. 

This was complemented by the establishment of in-person Community Reference Groups in each of the centres. 

Consultation on the draft plans for the 10 initial activity centres closed on 29 September 2024. 

We sought feedback to ensure we got the balance right between respecting what makes each activity centre unique and allowing enough housing choice so more Victorians can afford a home that’s right for them around these centres. The feedback will help us shape our final plans for these centres, proposed to be implemented by the end of this year. 

Community consultation will take place for the newly announced activity centres in 2025, with specific processes to be confirmed closer to the time. 

We are working to finalise the activity centre plans and planning controls for the 10 initial activity centres.   

The newly announced 50 centres will be grouped into tranches. The process for all 50 new centres is likely to be complete by 2026. 

There were different levels of engagement from communities across the ten activity centres and their feedback reflected local priorities and areas of focus.  

The following key themes emerged: 

1. Shared recognition that more homes are needed, including greater diversity of housing types and more affordable homes. 
2. Investment will be needed to ensure that as communities grow, they have the services and community infrastructure they need to maintain their liveability and connectivity. Improving access to public transport and creating better pedestrian and active transport connections balanced against improving car movement and provision of car parking. 
3. Concerns about the impacts on the local community and the importance of managing the level of development with the need for more housing. 

We’ve used this feedback to make sure our draft plans respect and strengthen the things that make each area unique. 

The feedback we collected across two phases of consultation is informing the preparation of final activity centre plans and implementation through planning scheme amendments. The Minister for Planning (or relevant delegate) may refer certain matters or consultation findings to an independent committee called the Activity Centres Standing Advisory Committee (AC SAC) for advice. This committee will provide independent advice back to the government and the Minister for Planning on how to respond to the feedback in the finalisation of our plans.  

The 10 pilot centres have gone through several rounds of consultation with community, the first commencing in April 2024. The final round of consultation concluded in September and enabled the community to provide feedback on the proposed changes set out in the draft activity centre plans. 

We will release a consultation report detailing the findings of this consultation.  

The core is proposed to be the train station or tram line and its surrounding commercial/shopping area. 

In cases where the train station is in a more residential area or where there is no train station, the core may be smaller with more modest height limits compared to larger centres. 

Catchment areas are proposed to be ten minutes’ walk (or 800 metres) from the core. In the catchment areas, the vision is for gentler, scaled height limits and more low-rise apartments and townhouses alongside existing homes. 

Plans for all activity centres will be different, because all communities are different. Government will work with councils and locals to understand their priorities and help enhance what’s important about their neighbourhood. 

Research shows that 800m (around 10 minutes) is the maximum time people are willing to walk to meet their daily needs locally. These daily needs may include accessing local health facilities and services, local schools and local shopping centres. 

The ‘catchment’ is the surrounding residential area generally within 800m or 10 minutes walking distance of the core. 

Change within catchment areas would likely occur naturally and gradually over time. The draft plans provide greater certainty for where new homes could be built by proposing changes to planning provisions for  modest apartments, between 3- to 6- storeys, and to cater for more homes. 

• Taller buildings will only be developed on the right sites. 
• The preferred planning tool for the catchments will be confirmed following consultation. 
• There will not be changes to heritage overlays with the Activity Centre program. Our clear new rules will balance the urgent need for more housing with the need to protect areas of heritage significance. The plans will draw from state and local rules about heritage, creating more housing choice while being sensitive to heritage. 
• Land in the catchment area that is not currently zoned or used for residential purposes has not been identified for more housing. 

Some activity centres have more recent structure plans and are already zoned for more homes and taller buildings  in the activity centre core. However in each case, we want to look at further opportunities to further enliven centres to make sure they live up to their potential. 

The centres will benefit from new rules which will create certainty about expected outcomes, such as public benefits expected in activity centres to make sure the local schools, services and infrastructure have the funding they need to meet the community’s need over time.  

The work will also review planning controls outside the activity centre within a walkable catchment where there are opportunities for greater housing diversity. 

As part of the Housing Statement, reforms are underway to the planning assessment for residential development (ResCode) to support faster permits and planning certainty. Following consultation undertaken in September 2024, the department is analysing stakeholder feedback about the proposed reforms. The proposed reforms are subject to further decisions before implementing an amendment to all planning schemes in Victoria. 

Implementation of the reforms will consider interaction with other proposed planning reforms and programs including Activity Centres, Better Apartment Design Program, exemptions for two dwellings on a lot (dual occupancy). 

Development proposals in activity centres will still be required to respond to the applicable design standards that protect the amenity of neighbouring residents (ResCode & the Better Apartment Design Standards). These standards include height, side setbacks, front setbacks and solar access. 

Whilst we are still confirming the preferred planning tool for the catchments, building heights may be linked to lot size to encourage the efficient use and development of land and ensure good design outcomes for neighbours. Larger lots could be considered to have a minimum area of 1000sqm and at least a 20 metre street frontage. 

This project does not identify sites for consolidation. Depending on the planning controls applied to each site, lot consolidation may enable increased development as larger sites can more easily comply with requirements such as setbacks to adjoining properties. 

We consulted on a new streamlined process for reviewing and approving planning applications for good quality developments in our activity centres, including removing third party notice and review and new ‘deemed to comply’ standards.  

Under our proposed new approach, applications for new developments within the activity centre core that meet the relevant provisions would not be subject to a public notice period. This means council would not notify nearby landowners about the planning application nor provide 14 days to lodge an objection. New developments would not be subject to review by VCAT.  

In catchment areas within 800m or 10 minutes walking distance of the core, current planning processes including notice and review provisions will apply.  

This approach to notice and review provisions is not new – in other key parts of Victoria such as within the Capital City Zone in Melbourne and Central Geelong, exemptions from notice and review also exist.  

Proposals in the commercial and community ‘core’ of Activity Centres that meet the building height, street wall height and setback requirements are proposed to be assessed against a ‘deemed to comply’ planning application pathway.  

Under the ‘deemed to comply’ pathway, if an application meets the deemed to comply requirement, then that planning application cannot be refused on the basis of that requirement.  

Deemed to comply controls are useful because they provide developers and the community with greater certainty about the likely expected scale and intensity of future development, while still allowing for innovative design responses on a case-by-case basis if the deemed to comply requirements are not met. 

In the commercial and community ‘core’ of Activity Centres, we want to reduce barriers to building new homes and create more certainty for councils, developers, and communities.  

We are not proposing to remove notice and review through the Activity Centre Program for planning applications in the surrounding catchment areas.  

A faster planning process does not mean a poorer outcome or that the community doesn’t have a say. 

If a development proposal meets a deemed to comply standard it will benefit from a streamlined planning approval pathway. These exemptions are designed to improve investment conditions and get more homes built faster via:  

• Faster application processing 
• Greater certainty about application outcomes 
• Time and money saved in holding costs 
• Reducing costly VCAT hearings 

In most cases, your local council will remain the responsible authority for assessing whether a proposal is acceptable and will be able to review the proposed design of the development to ensure the design is of a high standard and will not unnecessarily affect neighbouring properties.  

As more people call these activity centres home, we want to make sure the local schools, services and infrastructure have the funding they need to continue to meet the needs of the local community. It is important that infrastructure funding is in place to support the provision of improved facilities and amenities. 

We’re working on a simplified infrastructure funding system to fund the things these suburbs need into the future. 

This system could provide direct contributions for councils and state government to deliver essential infrastructure like pedestrian crossings, community centres and local sporting facilities to support changing communities.  

Infrastructure and service upgrades will be delivered as the need and demand is determined based on expected change over time and demographic analysis. 

This project has carried out several impact assessments on a range of matters. These assessments examine the impact of the additional population on roads, schools, and other community facilities. 

There will not be changes to heritage overlays or amendment of any of the local or state planning policy relating to heritage that is currently within the planning scheme as part of the Activity Centre program. 

Development applications on land covered by a heritage overlay will still be considered against the decision guidelines of the heritage overlay as well as relevant state and local policy.  

There will not be changes to heritage overlays and normal planning processes including notice and appeal provisions will apply in the catchments.  

Councils will continue to be the responsible authority for approving permits which will include their standard approach to heritage advice and consultants. Detailed design matters will remain the preserve of responsible authority through the planning permit process.  

New developments will be subject to Environmental Sustainable Design (ESD) matters embedded in the Planning Scheme (Clause 54,55 and 58). Environmental performance requirements for all new housing apply under the building system. Building practitioner resources can be found at Victorian Building Authority Website. 

We’re working on a simplified infrastructure funding system to fund the things these suburbs need into the future.  

This system could provide direct contributions for councils and state government to deliver essential infrastructure like upgrades to open space, pedestrian crossings, community centres and local sporting facilities to support changing communities. 

As part of the program, we are looking at the current and future needs for these types of infrastructure items and it will be factored into the planning for these places. 

Proposed new standards include front, side, and rear setback requirements that will support landscaping and canopy cover. New developments over 5 storeys are proposed to be subject to Clause 58 Planning Scheme (Apartment Developments) which includes specific objectives for tree canopy. Clause 54 (one dwelling on a lot) and 55 (two or more dwellings on a lot and residential buildings) include standards on street setback, side and rear setbacks, site coverage and private open space to accommodate canopy cover and support landscaping. 

One of the key aims of this project is to improve housing affordability by increasing the supply of housing across metropolitan Melbourne. Delivering affordable housing is a shared responsibility between local, state and federal governments and industry. There are many ways to provide more affordable housing, and activity centres have a role to play. The aim of the Activity Centres Program is to deliver more homes in the places people want to live.  

We are working on policy and considering incentives to support the delivery of affordable, fairer and diverse housing in the activity centres. 

Our activity centre plans and the Victorian Government’s draft housing targets guide where new homes could be built over the next 30 years.  

Landowners in activity centres will have more opportunities to build more different types of homes on their property over the next few decades, as market forces change over time. 

This program is aiming to enable faster delivery of homes through streamlined planning processes, which is only one component of housing delivery. This will provide certainty for developers/homeowners should they wish to (re)develop, enabling shorter time frames in the planning process.