Update on Victorian Government planning reforms
A new plan for Victoria
The Victorian Government released a new plan for Victoria on 28 February 2025. It is the Victorian Government’s big-picture plan for the state’s future.
The Plan has five pillars:
- housing for all Victorians,
- accessible jobs and services,
- great places,
- sustainable environments, and
- self-determination and caring for Country.
To deliver the vision, 22 short term actions have been announced with new actions to be developed over time.
Niddrie (Keilor Road) and North Essendon Activity Centres
Planning Scheme Amendment (GC252)
On Friday 11 April 2025 the Victorian Government implemented the Niddrie (Keilor Road) and North Essendon Activity Centre Plans and associated planning controls.
The changes introduce new planning controls for:
- New built form and height controls apply to the core of the centres through a Built Form Overlay and Residential Growth Zone. The heights are consistent with previous planning controls and information previously circulated by the Victorian Government.
- A streamlined ‘deemed to comply’ planning application process applies to properties in the core area. This includes removal of third-party notice and review rights if specific building heights, street wall heights and setbacks are met. Otherwise, the standard planning processes will apply.
- A new Housing Choice and Transport Zone (Area 2) applies to the surrounding catchment. This zone allows for building heights up to 3 storeys, and up to 4 storeys on larger lots over 1,000m².
- The Design and Development Overlays that applied across both centres have been deleted as the information has now been translated into the new Built Form Overlay.
- The Design and Development Overlay that applies to the Mt Alexander Road corridor has been adjusted to extract reference to the North Essendon centre.
- Final Plans for each of the Activity Centres have been introduced as background documents into the Planning Scheme.
Any new application for development within the Niddrie (Keilor Road) & North Essendon Activity Centre must now follow the new planning controls.
What has not changed
- Heritage Overlays and Neighbourhood Character Overlays remain. This ensures our valued heritage places will continue to be protected, though the overlay and zone have competing objectives which will need to be balanced.
- Land in the Special Building Overlay that shows land subject to flooding has not changed.
Please visit Department of Transport and Planning for the latest information on Niddrie (Keilor Road) and North Essendon Activity Centres.
For more information, please email activity.centres@transport.vic.gov.au
Housing targets
Following the release of the draft housing targets for Victorian Councils in June 2024, the Victorian Government on Monday 24 February released final housing targets for each local government area within Victoria to deliver over the next 30 years:
- The City of Moonee Valley’s initial draft target was an additional 57,000 dwellings to 2051.
- The draft target has been revised to a final target of an additional 47,500 dwellings to 2051.
For further information refer to:
Townhouse and Low-rise Code
On Tuesday 25 February, the Victorian government announced a new Townhouse and Low-rise Code to come into effect via an amendment to all planning schemes, subject to gazettal in the Victorian Government Gazette.