Activity Centre Boundaries and new Activity Centre Zone
On this page
The Victorian Government’s response to the Melbourne 2030 Audit – Planning for all of Melbourne – identified a number of initiatives to ensure that the planning an management of growth in Activity Centres is simpler and more effective. These initiatives include:
The Government identified five ‘market ready’ Principal Activity Centres where these initiatives would initially be introduced. These centres are Camberwell Junction, Coburg, Doncaster Hill, Central Geelong and Preston (High Street).
Following advice from an Independent Advisory Committee, the Minister for Planning has now released his Assessment and Response to its recommendations. The Minister’s Assessment and Response outlines approved boundaries for each of the five ‘market ready’ centres and criteria for establishing boundaries at activity centres.
In addition, a new Activity Centre Zone and associated Practice Note have also been developed and released to assist planning at activity centres.
Information sessions will be conducted to outline these new initiatives.
Activity Centres Boundaries for five ‘market ready’ centres
DPCD exhibited proposed boundaries for each of the five ‘market ready’ centres from 11 February to 11 March 2009. A total of 53 submissions were received by the DPCD (including 12 late submissions).
Parallel to this, the Minister for Planning appointed an Advisory Committee to provide advice on the appropriate boundaries for each of the five ‘market ready’ centres. More detail on the tasks undertaken by the Advisory Committee can be found in its Terms of Reference:
Advisory Committee Terms of Reference (DOC - 53 KB)All submissions received by DPCD were referred to the Advisory Committee for its consideration in preparing its advice to the Minister. In addition to reviewing these submissions, the Advisory Committee undertook a separate program of consultation. This provided a further opportunity for submitters to present formally to the Advisory Committee.
The independent Advisory Committee recently provided its final advice to the Minister for Planning. A full copy of the Advisory Committee’s report is available on the Planning Scheme Amendment Panel and Advisory Committee Reports web page.
Having received and considered this advice, the Minister for Planning has now released his Assessment and Response to the Report of the Advisory Committee on Activity Centre Boundaries. This report outlines:
Minister's Response on Boundaries (PDF - 2.7 MB) Ministers Response on Boundaries (DOC - 129 KB)Activity Centre Zone
The Activity Centre Zone (ACZ) is the preferred tool to guide and facilitate the use and development of land in activity centres.
The ACZ is a centre-wide tool developed specifically for application at Central Activities Districts (CADs), Principal Activity Centres (PACs), Major Activity Centres (MACs) and Specialised Activity Centres (SACs) in metropolitan Melbourne.
It has also been developed for application at larger regional cities which demonstrate distinct ‘CBD’ type functions and have undertaken a structure planning process. In very limited instances it may be considered for application at large Neighbourhood Activity Centres (NACs).
To apply the ACZ an activity centre boundary must be identified. This boundary should match the adopted structure plan boundary for the centre.
The Activity Centre Zone Practice Note provides more detailed guidance on applying the Activity Centre Zone.
Activity Centre Zone Practice Note (PDF - 539 KB)Other practice notes and advisory notes published by DPCD about activity centres can be found on the Practice Notes and Guidelines web page.
Page top
Defining an activity centre boundary
The criteria approved by the Minister for Planning and outlined in his Assessment and Response to the Report of the Advisory Committee on Activity Centre Boundaries report is to be used in determining a boundary for an activity centre.
Approved Activity Centre Boundary Criteria:
a) Consider the following issues in determining the potential location of an Activity Centre boundary:
- The location of existing commercial areas and land uses.
- The location of existing government and institutional areas and land uses.
- The location of existing areas of public open space.
- Commercial and residential needs.
- Environmental and flooding constraints.
- Heritage constraints.
- Availability of strategic redevelopment sites, both existing and potential.
- The location of residential areas, including whether they provide significant redevelopment opportunities or constraints for the centre.
- Consideration of physical barriers and opportunities for their improvement.
- Proximity to public transport, especially fixed rail (train or tram).
- The location of existing and potential transport infrastructure including fixed rail, buses, bicycle paths, car parking areas and modal interchanges
- Walkability – opportunities to provide for and improve walkability within 400 to 800 metres from the core of the centre (depending on topography and connectivity).
- Consistency with State policy.
- Consistency with local policy and MSS.
- Impacts of the boundary on other Activity Centre boundaries.
- Sufficient land to provide for the commercial (retailing, office, fringe retailing and support activities such as entertainment) activities needed over a 15 to 20 year time frame and then into the 30-year horizon.
- Residential areas that are integrated into the Activity Centre or surrounded by other uses that have a strong functional inter-relationship with the Activity Centre even where limited development opportunities exist.
- Key public land uses that have or are intended to have a strong functional inter-relationship with the Activity Centre even where there are no or limited redevelopment opportunities.
- Public open space areas that have or are intended to have a strong functional inter-relationship with the Activity Centre.
- Residential land encumbered by significant constraints (such as Heritage Overlays) located at the edge of the Activity Centre.
To assist Councils, developers, the planning industry and the community, a series of information sessions will be held outlining the purpose of the zone, how to apply the zone and where the zone should be applied. Information session will be held as follows:
All information sessions will be held at:
Treasury Theatre
Lower Plaza
1 Macarthur Street
East Melbourne 3002
Places are limited at each session so please contact Sarah Keating to register on 8644 8828 or email: activity.centres@dpcd.vic.gov.au
How can I get further information?
For further information on boundaries for Activity Centres:
Visit the: Activity Centres Frequently Asked Questions
Phone: 1300 366 356 (local call cost) or TTY +61 3 9603 8806 (8.30am-5pm Monday-Friday)
Email: activity.centres@dpcd.vic.gov.au
Page top
Please note: Document(s) on this page are presented in PDF format. If you do not have the Adobe Reader, you can download a copy free from the Adobe Website