Introduction > Melbourne 2030 in summary > Key initiatives

Key initiatives

To put its directions and policies into practice, Melbourne 2030 proposes many initiatives. These will involve cooperative action between government and the community, and their implementation will affect everyone living, working in and visiting metropolitan Melbourne and the surrounding region.

As Melbourne 2030 is a statement of government policy intent only, some of the initiatives will be subject to the availability of budget funding. That is, such initiatives will need to await assessment and prioritisation through normal State budget processes in future periods. It is not intended that all initiatives should begin at once, nor that all should be completed within the five-year time frame. Many will lead to follow-on work. Others may change or be reviewed over the 30-year life of Melbourne 2030.

Growth across a network of activity centres
The activity centres network comprises the Central Activities District, 25 nominated Principal Activity Centres, around 79 Major Activity Centres and 10 Specialised Activity Centres. These are identified in Melbourne 2030 and linked by the Principal Public Transport Network. The Principal and Major Activity Centres will be the preferred locations for future higher-density residential and mixed-use developments. Priority will be given initially to structure planning for the centres of Sunshine, Knox City/Towerpoint, Cranbourne, Doncaster and Narre Warren/Fountain Gate (Policies 1.1 – 1.3).

More Transit Cities
The number of locations for Transit Cities projects has been increased to nine with the identification of Box Hill, Epping, Broadmeadows and Werribee as locations for investigation into potential major redevelopments. Projects for higher-density development and improved public transport access are already at various stages of development for the five existing metropolitan Transit Cities of Frankston, Dandenong, Ringwood, Sydenham and Footscray (Initiative 1.1.3).

New major centres
New Principal or Major Activity Centres are essential to provide hubs for new suburbs. Mernda, in the Plenty Valley growth area, is an example of the newly established direction in design and function. Reviews of growth area plans for other development corridors will identify the need for and location of such centres. Possibilities exist, for example, in Hume, at Donnybrook; in Caroline Springs/Melton, at Ravenhall and Rockbank; in Werribee, at Werribee West; and in Pakenham, at Officer (Initiative 2.2.1 – 2.2.3).

Improved transport at stand-alone centres
Studies will look at ways to improve existing public transport services and interchanges at ‘stand-alone’ shopping centres – examples include the Frankston line and Southland Shopping Centre, tram and bus services at Airport West and Highpoint and bus services at Chadstone and Doncaster (Initiative 8.1.1).

New strategic developments
More than 130 major sites have been identified for potential large residential developments (of more than 100 dwellings) outside activity centres. Councils will be asked to review strategic opportunities for smaller developments and resolve any existing barriers to development (Initiative 1.3.2).

Protection of existing suburbs
The character of established residential areas will be protected through Rescode, and increased densities will not be achieved at the expense of existing amenity. There will be a focus on encouraging a wider range of housing types and more affordable housing (Initiatives 1.3.4, 6.1.1, 6.1.2).

Services in the outer suburbs
Changes to the way development is planned and implemented in outer suburban growth areas will ensure that facilities such as roads, bus services, schools, libraries and child care centres are provided much earlier in the development cycle (Initiatives 2.3.1, 2.3.2).

Urban growth boundary
An interim urban growth boundary has been put in place, with immediate effect on planning decisions. A permanent boundary will be adopted after public comments are considered. In designated growth areas the boundary will be regularly reviewed to provide for future growth requirements (Initiative 2.1.1).

Protection for green wedges
Twelve green wedges are designated outside the urban growth boundary to protect important non-urban uses including conservation areas, recreation, agriculture, airports, sewage treatment and quarries. The planning controls in these areas will be underpinned by legislation that ensures the long-term protection of environmentally significant areas, natural resource-based uses and rural vistas (Initiatives 2.4.1 – 2.4.4).

Networking with regional cities
A new and interactive relationship is proposed between Melbourne and the major regional cities and rural areas, in order to view development of the State as a whole. This will help spread economic and population growth more evenly and overcome problems caused by unmanaged urban development (Initiatives 3.1.1 – 3.1.4).

Building on our economic strengths
Planning and other measures will be used to strengthen key economic activities, protect the function of Specialised Activity Centres, build the core of metropolitan Melbourne as Victoria’s business and retail heart, and complete the integrated development of Jolimont, Docklands, Southbank and the major knowledge precinct in Carlton/Parkville (Initiatives in policies 1.1, and 4.1 – 4.3).

Strengthening our port facilities
The continued expansion of operations of the Ports of Melbourne, Geelong and Hastings will be protected. Provision will be made for corridors for improved rail access, including a new rail link into Webb Dock and a rail reservation along the Scoresby Freeway so that freight trains can go from Hastings to Dandenong without affecting residential areas. An environmental assessment has begun into the feasibility of deepening the Port Phillip Bay shipping channel (Initiatives 4.3.2 – 4.3.4).

Safeguarding our airports
There will be protection for flight paths and future development options at Melbourne’s core airports – Melbourne, Avalon, Point Cook and Moorabbin. Essendon Airport (once closed) and the former RAAF Laverton airbase will be redeveloped for a mix of uses in accordance with the directions of Melbourne 2030 (Initiatives 4.3.6 – 4.3.9).

A connected city
Provision will be made to ensure that all new major subdivisions and developments have ducting laid for broadband services and that telecommunications infrastructure is upgraded to enable a high degree of connectivity (Initiatives 4.5.1, 4.5.2).

Greater energy efficiency
New rules for energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings, the shift to public transport, and increased recycling of non-domestic wastes will make the city less wasteful of energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and make Melbourne a ‘greener city’ (Initiatives in policies 7.1 – 7.9).

Major new parks
The creation of six major new metropolitan regional parks and four ‘chains of parks’ will extend the existing parks network to balance current gaps in the west, north and south-east of the city. This will include a continuous coastal trail from Williamstown to Werribee, showcasing a forgotten part of Port Phillip Bay (Initiatives 5.7.1, 5.7.2).

A great place to be
New urban design guidelines and a focus on creating local 'sense of place' will make the city more attractive and exciting, with centres that are relevant to their local community and high-quality, sustainable environments (Initiatives in policy 5.1).

Improved supply of affordable housing
The supply of affordable housing throughout the metropolitan area will be improved through joint programs with the Urban and Regional Land Corporation, the Office of Housing, local councils and the not-for-profit sector, to meet the needs of households on low-to-medium incomes (Initiatives 6.1.2, 6.1.6).

A safer city
The safety of public places and transport facilities will be vastly improved through the application of design principles, more grouping of activities, and better planning for police and emergency services in new centres (Initiatives 5.3.1 – 5.3.3).

Better transport links
Improved cross-town bus services and faster public transport will result from identifying on-road public transport ‘red spots’ – locations where conflicts between cars and public transport cause avoidable delays. Developing strategies to address these ‘red spots’ will also help public transport reach its goal of 20 per cent share of motorised trips by 2020 (Initiative 8.2.1).

Better planning decisions
A series of measures to improve the operation of the planning system, with better planning decisions and faster resolution of appeals and disputes, will increase community confidence in the planning process (Initiatives in policies 9.1 and 9.2).