Policies and initiatives > Direction 1. A more compact city > Policy 1.1

Policy 1.1 - Build up activity centres as a focus for high-quality development, activity and living for the whole community

Central Activities District

The role of local government in planning activity centres

The way activity centres are planned and managed can generate a number of benefits. As the centres become better-served by public transport, there is less need to use cars. They offer access for all to a range of services. Because activities are clustered, employment opportunities multiply, and they provide a range of housing options.

Renewed planning of existing activity centres should emphasise implementing policies for clustering higher-density housing in and around centres, and improving local and regional public transport.

Accordingly, to encourage development within centres, local councils will be encouraged to review the purpose and function of individual centres and to revise local planning policies to ensure consistency with Melbourne 2030. Detailed structure planning can help with this process.

Structure planning should:

• set the strategic framework for the use and development of land in and around the centre and give clear direction to investors about preferred locations for investment
• support the role and function of the centre given its classification, the policies for housing intensification, and development of the public transport network
• show the scale and direction of development needed to reflect the needs of the community, now and in the future
• reflect the Strategy’s performance criteria.

Each centre should be assessed against standard performance criteria (see‘Performance criteria’) before developing detailed planning responses. Councils should identify the boundaries of each centre, or where necessary redefine them, in order to provide for new and expanded activity so as to reduce the need for out-of-centre development. In some cases, this will involve change to the urban form of the centre.

Councils will be encouraged to give priority attention to those Principal and Major Activity Centres that have good public transport access and will be essential to the development of the Principal Public
Transport Network. Careful structure planning will provide a basis for supporting more intensive and varied development without compromising the amenity of surrounding land-uses.


Performance criteria
Activity centres best meet Melbourne 2030’s vision, principles and key directions when they fulfil integrated performance criteria, as follows:

Social

• improve the liveability (safety, convenience, comfort, aesthetics) of the area
• increase opportunities for social interaction and provide a focus for the community
• contribute to the area’s natural, cultural and historical heritage
• make a wide range of services and facilities more accessible to all
• relate well to surrounding development, land uses and landscapes
• meet the needs of all segments of the population
• maintain or improve transport choice for all
• maintain or improve public health

Economic

• contribute to economic competitiveness of the network of centres that provides wide community benefit
• promote urban forms that minimise overall land and transport requirements
• ensure more efficient use of land and provision of infrastructure
• improve freight movement and business logistics
• improve business and employment opportunities

Environmental

• encourage the development of urban transport systems that will limit pollution from fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• improve energy-efficient building design and layout
• imit the amount of waste generated for disposal off-site
• increase water conservation, including water-sensitive urban design
• control noise emissions to achieve reasonable levels near sensitive uses.

Over time, the performance of each centre in the network will be assessed against these criteria and other relevant standards to provide a benchmark for determining the direction and magnitude of changes required to improve the network of centres.