Melbourne is growing upward before it grows outward, with the Victorian government greenlighting plans to build mid-rise and high-rise developments in Melbourne’s fifty activity hubs.
Draft maps released yesterday outline the vision for the remaining 23 of 50 “Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres,” described by the government as “vibrant places where people access public transport, shop, work, connect with family and friends, as well as live.”
According to Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, the government wanted to make it “easier and fairer” for more Victorians to live in suburbs of their choosing: “We’re releasing them in these areas because they’re really well connected to public transport, to infrastructure, to jobs and services, and we also know they’re areas where too many Victorians have been priced out,” she said.
A Train and Tram Zone Activity Centre in Caulfield would have the least restrictive height restrictions, allowing up to 20 storeys near Caulfield Racecourse and Monash University.
Height restrictions vary from four to 16 storeys in other suburbs near stations in Windsor, Blackburn and Springvale, while a five-kilometre zone is outlined between Malvern and South Yarra stations. Buildings near Chapel Street in Prahran could also soar to what heights? 16 storeys.
And in Toorak and Armadale, developments up to 10 storeys high are slated.
“This is about putting more homes where it makes sense, so higher buildings in the cores in the centres, and then a more gradual density the further out you move from those cores,” Kilkenny said. “What we’ve been seeing is our growth suburbs carrying the burden of more homes.
“Places like Melton and Wyndham have grown over the last 30 years by more than 400 per cent, whereas places like Booronarra Bayside, growing roughly around 24 to 28 per cent.”
Locals are invited to provide feedback on the draft plans over the next month via the Engage Victoria website, with submissions due by March 22. “Have a look at the maps, engage with us, consult with us, and provide feedback on these draft maps, and help us show where more homes can go over the next couple of decades, as we plan for the future,” Kilkenny said.
Melbourne is the sweet spot for Australia’s most ambitious build-to-rent developer
Last year, Rory Hunter, CEO of MODEL, revealed that Melbourne’s inner north was ideally placed to build mid-rise and high-rise build-to-rent towers out of cross-laminated timber.
Addressing 200 architects, engineers, developers and timber professionals at Timber Construct – Australia’s largest timber in construction conference, Hunter said MODEL, which is now working on two projects in Abbotsford, is well-positioned to succeed where traditional or legacy developers have not:
“We’re designing for a very different future. Buildings must be more resilient, and timber is a key part of that,” Hunter said from the sidelines. “As the energy transition and broader decarbonisation accelerate, assets that haven’t considered operational and embodied carbon from the start risk becoming stranded. Timber aligns with our values and mission, and it’s what the market will demand.”
Responding to questions from Georgie Coutsodimitropoulos, NeXTimber by Timberlink’s Marketing and Brand Manager, Hunter said that combining timber and Passivhaus standards can materially lift housing quality across Australia.
“Shockingly, the majority of Australian homes fall outside the World Health Organisation’s recommended temperature and humidity ranges, and the situation is worse in the rental sector,” he said. “Around 80% of rental homes are either too cold and damp in winter or too hot in summer, creating real health risks for tenants.”
- To learn more about Hunter’s bid to build more build-to-rent towers out of cross-laminated timber, click here for Wood Central’s exclusive coverage from Timber Construct.
