PREMIER Jacinta Allan and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny recently visited Frankston to share the updated plans for the State Government’s first 10 Pilot Activity Centres, which will help deliver 60,000 homes in suburban areas by 2051.
Plans for these Pilot Activity Centres have been updated following two rounds of extensive community consultation, engaging with more than 10,000 people, councils, and other key groups, resulting in key changes being made.
Subject to gazettal, the plans will take effect this month, seeking to build more homes where they make sense: more homes and fast approvals in busy commercial precincts, with lower and gentler height limits for the surrounding residential area.
The 10 Pilot Activity Centres are: Broadmeadows, Camberwell Junction, Chadstone, Epping, Frankston, Moorabbin, Niddrie, North Essendon, Preston (High Street), and Ringwood.
Under the updated plans, catchment areas will be split into two: inner and outer. Inner catchments are closer to the core and will have the same four-storey limit, or up to six storeys on larger blocks. Outer catchments are farther from the core and will have a new three-storey limit, or up to four storeys on larger blocks.
Catchment boundaries have also been reduced in most centres following local feedback, and a closer, street-by-street and step-by-step analysis of what constitutes a 10-minute walk from the core.
In the core, maximum heights continue to apply for developments using the fast-tracked ‘deemed to comply’ process. A maximum of 10 storeys will apply in the core of Niddrie, North Essendon, and Preston. A maximum of 12 storeys will apply in the core of Broadmeadows, Camberwell, Chadstone, Epping, and Moorabbin.
Taller maximums apply in the core of Ringwood (20 storeys) and Frankston (16 storeys), as this is what local councils asked for as part of their own long-term planning.
Other changes include new rules to support tree planting on larger sites and stronger controls to protect sunlight and prevent overshadowing of parks and open spaces.
Ms Allen said it was the solution to the ongoing housing crisis.
“The status quo won’t cut it. There is only one way out of the housing crisis – build our way out,” she said.
“We want more homes for young people and workers close to jobs, transport, and services—so they can live where they want, near the things they need and the people they love.”
Ms Kilkenny said it was a chance for younger people to work their way into the housing market.
“This is about giving young Victorians who are locked out of the housing market the opportunity their parents had,” she said.
To ensure these areas continue to have the local infrastructure they need as they grow, developers building new homes in the Pilot Activity Centres will be required to make a contribution from January 1, 2027. Contributions will go towards works such as road and path upgrades, parks and open space, and community facilities.
Known as the Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC), the scheme was announced in October 2024 to replace the current regime, delivering a single clear and standardised developer contributions system across the state.
The government is currently engaging with the leadership of the sector on the next steps in this proposed system.
To view the activity centre plans, visit www.planning.vic.gov.au/activitycentres.
