The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) have been using the buildings at 192-200 Arden Street for more than a decade for their administrative head office and training and health services. They propose to continue this use of the site and in the future increase the building floor area to accommodate expanded office facilities.

Despite the land technically sitting in a residential zone where office use is prohibited, the ETU are able to continue the office use as they benefit from existing use rights given that they’ve been operating on the site there for many years. Any expansion of the on-site office facilities is prohibited under the existing zone.

The change in zoning will provide certainty for the ongoing use and the proposed DDO84 will introduce building heights and setbacks to guide any future redevelopment of the site.

Any future development of the site will be limited to staggered building heights ranging from 3.4 metres at the northern site boundary up to 20 metres along much of the Arden Street frontage.

Although a 20 metre height limit is proposed to be applied over the heritage Mills building, the retention of this identified heritage building and its significant external fabric is protected under existing provisions in the planning scheme.

The proposed new planning controls will only apply to the site at 192-200 Arden Street North Melbourne.

A planning scheme is a legal document that sets out planning policies, zones, overlays and other rules affecting how land can be used and developed in the municipality.

The planning scheme sets out what we can and cannot do on different areas of land in the city; for example, but is not limited to, whether the land can be used for housing or a shop or business, what the height of a building should be, and how much open space should be provided.

As our city grows and changes, planning controls may be changed or updated to reflect the new circumstances. A change to the planning scheme is known as a planning scheme amendment.

Once the public exhibition has closed, we will consider all submissions. Council can decide to make the changes requested in submissions or request the Minister for Planning appoint an independent panel to hear and review all the 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 Planning for final approval.