General

• What is the Melbourne Planning Scheme?

• The Melbourne Planning Scheme is a legal document that sets out the way land can be used and developed in the municipality. The Melbourne Planning Scheme is a legal document that contains policies and provisions that control land use and development to manage growth and change.

• What is a Planning Scheme Amendment?

• The Melbourne Planning Scheme is a living document that is regularly updated to reflect evolving priorities for and knowledge about the city.

  Changes to the Scheme are called amendments and the process is set out in the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (the Act).

  An amendment may involve a change to a planning scheme map (for example: adding a new overlay), a change to the written part of the scheme, or both. Generally, amendments to the planning scheme change the way land can be used or developed and can also change the basis for making planning decisions in the future.

  Unless the Minister for Planning deems it unnecessary, a planning scheme amendment generally involves consultation with affected parties, through a formal exhibition. If Council cannot resolve matters raised by submitters, an independent Planning Panel will hear arguments for or against the proposed changes to the Planning Scheme.

• What is the Municipal Planning Strategy?

• The Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) is a succinct expression of the overarching strategic policy directions of a municipality. It highlights the planning issues that are important to the municipality and provides context for the local policies in the Planning Policy Framework (PPF). The PPF and MPS work together to form the strategic basis of a planning scheme.

About the amendment

• What is Amendment C432?

• The Melbourne Planning Scheme needs to remain current and respond to changes as our city continues to experience growth. Amendment C432 proposes to introduce a new Municipal Planning Strategy into the Melbourne Planning Scheme, this section sets out the overarching strategic planning policy directions for our municipality. The Municipal Planning Strategy is a high level strategic document and provides a link to the City of Melbourne’s corporate plan and the planning framework.

  This revised Municipal Planning Strategy includes greater emphasis on promoting sustainable development, promoting housing diversity and affordable housing, mitigating climate change, promoting employment, innovation and creative industries, elevating high quality design outcomes and design excellence and recognising Aboriginal cultural values and heritage.

  In addition to the Municipal Planning Strategy, Amendment C432 proposes to make changes to local policies. These policies assist with the assessment of planning proposals to deliver positive outcomes at a local level for our neighbourhoods through the consideration of matters relating to housing, economic development, built environment and heritage, transport and open space.

  Generally, these policies are used in any assessment where there is a requirement for a planning permit in addition to other relevant parts of the Melbourne Planning Scheme.

• What is the Draft City Spatial Plan?

• The Draft City Spatial Plan is a placed based vision for change and growth across the municipality. The Draft City Spatial Plan provides the strategic basis to implement the overarching strategic planning policy for the municipality into the Melbourne Planning Scheme, in the form of the Municipal Planning Strategy. The Draft City Spatial Plan represents Council’s endorsed position on key planning issues including employment generating land uses, the role of potential renewal precincts, the interface with the Port of Melbourne, overarching principles guiding the provision of infrastructure, response to research into local energy, creative industries and active recreation demand, and strategic directions for local areas.

• Which areas are affected by changes to local policies?

• New local policies are proposed for: City North, Dynon, E-Gate, Flemington and Melbourne Showgrounds, and Maribyrnong Waterfront.

  Changes to existing policies are proposed for: Carlton, Docklands, East Melbourne and Jolimont, Kensington, Hoddle Grid, North Melbourne, Parkville, Southbank, Sports and Entertainment Precinct and Domain Parklands, South Yarra and West Melbourne.

• What does the Growth area framework mean for my neighbourhood?

• The City of Melbourne continues to be a vibrant, diverse and evolving place, it is important that the Melbourne Planning Scheme is current and is able to respond to the growth and development of our city. The Growth area framework identifies six change types across the municipality, these areas have been categorised based on the expected degree of change and the area’s role to accommodate growth. The areas are defined as follows:

  Central City include:

  • Hoddle Grid: where ongoing growth and change will occur as existing building stock is renewed to include greater housing supply and residential development.
  • Southbank and Docklands: where recent intensive urban renewal has occurred and a focus on high quality building design and enhancement of the public realm will continue.

  Renewal Precincts include:

  • Arden, Macaulay, Fishermans Bend Lorimer and Fishermans Bend National Employment and Innovation Cluster (NEIC): where mixed use, industrial and former industrial areas have been identified to undergo significant change in function, form and character.
  • Dynon, E-Gate and Maribyrnong Waterfront: are active industrial areas that play an important strategic role in supporting our economy.

  Neighbourhoods include:

  • City North, West Melbourne: are well established areas that are undergoing incremental infill development, modifying the existing built form and use.
  • Carlton, East Melbourne and Jolimont, Kensington, Parkville, North Melbourne and South Yarra: are well established, predominately residential areas, most with a strong heritage character.
• Why doesn’t Amendment C432 include a policy for Macaulay?

• New planning policy and planning controls for Macaulay will be implemented through a separate planning scheme amendment, Amendment C417. Amendment C417 is on public exhibition until 6 September 2024.

• Will Amendment C432 change any zones or overlays?

• No. The amendment does not propose to change any zones or overlays.

• How does this relate to the Victorian government’s new housing targets?

• The Victorian Government set a target of delivering 2.24 million new homes by 2051. The recent announcement of statewide draft housing targets provides each of Victoria’s 79 Council’s with a draft target for where these homes are to be built over the next 26 years to 2051. City of Melbourne’s draft target is for an additional 134,000 homes. City of Melbourne will provide feedback to the Victorian Government on the refinement of the draft housing targets in the coming months.

  The draft City Spatial Plan and the proposed new Municipal Planning Strategy recognise that all areas within our municipality will have a part to play in accommodating more homes. These documents provide an understanding of how each of our local areas will experience growth and change to accommodate new homes, now and into the future.

• What engagement has occurred with Traditional Owners and the Aboriginal community?

• Melbourne is an Aboriginal city which aspires to govern with our Traditional Owners and have a shared commitment towards treaty, justice and reconciliation with our First Peoples. The City of Melbourne’s vision for reconciliation is to work alongside Sovereign First Nations, enabling true self-determination and ensuring Aboriginal peoples have the freedom to live well according to their own values and beliefs.

  In finalising the Municipal Planning Strategy, City of Melbourne consulted with our Traditional Owners the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and the Bunurong Land Council. To date, separate Traditional Owner and Aboriginal community consultation on the draft City Spatial Plan has not been undertaken.

  In finalising the City Spatial Plan, City of Melbourne will consult with Traditional Owners and the Aboriginal community, with consideration of new and emerging strategies, to understand the opportunity to provide greater strategic direction for the aspiration of an Aboriginal city.

Making a submission

• Can I make a submission to Amendment C432?

• Yes. If you would like to put in a submission to Amendment C432, you can do so in writing by via:

  • the online form
  • emailed to: planningpolicy@melbourne.vic.gov.au
  • or posted to:

  Manager Planning Policy
  City of Melbourne
  GPO Box 1603
  Melbourne VIC 3001

  Your submission should include:

  • The amendment number (C432)
  • The name of the person making the submission with preferred contact details (and if you represent a group)*
  • The address of the affected property (if applicable)
  • Whether you support or oppose any part of the proposal and your reasons for this
  • Any specific changes you would suggest we make

  *Name and contact details of submitters are required for Council to consider submissions and to notify such persons of the opportunity to attend council meetings and any public hearing held to consider submissions.

• What happens to my submission?

• Once you make a submission to the City of Melbourne, you will receive acknowledgement of its receipt. After the public exhibition period ends, our staff will carefully review all submissions. As part of this process, we may contact some people to discuss their comments and any changes sought. We then create a database, where every unique theme that has been raised is listed, and draft a response to these themes. All submissions will be considered by Council at its Future Melbourne Committee meeting (FMC).

  Where there are submissions that can’t be resolved, the Minister for Planning will be asked to appoint an independent panel of planning experts, who can consider all of the information and make recommendations. The content of your submission, minus your personal information or property address, is available upon request to any interested party.

• I work in the City of Melbourne but do not live within the municipality, can I make a submission to Amendment C432?

• Yes, submissions are welcome from anyone. If you have an interest in or would like to comment on Amendment C432 you can do so in writing by completing the online submission form.

• What happens next?

• The Minister for Planning has authorised the City of Melbourne to exhibit proposed Amendment C432.

  As part of the amendment process, affected owners, occupiers, Aboriginal Traditional Custodians and prescribed ministers have been notified of the 'exhibition period’ and have an opportunity to review the proposed changes to the Melbourne Planning Scheme to ask questions and to make a formal submission.

  All submissions will be considered by Council at its Future Melbourne Committee meeting (FMC). Under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, the FMC can decide whether to make the changes requested by submitters, abandon the amendment, or request that the Minister for Planning appoint an independent panel to review and hear submissions.

  Before making a final decision on the amendment, Council will consider the independent panel’s advice. If the amendment is adopted by Council, then it will be submitted to the Minister for final approval.

  This process usually takes more than 18 months.

• How can I find out more?

• For questions relating to the amendment process and planning permit implications of it, contact Council’s Planning Policy team at planningpolicy@melbourne.vic.gov.au or 9658 9658.