Every neighbourhood has its own unique character shaped by its streetscapes, buildings, parks and the way people move through them. Train and tram zone activity centre plans will help guide where new homes can go and what kind of homes are most suitable for each area.
These plans seek to include clear planning rules, such as building heights and setbacks, providing certainty for council, communities and developers alike.
We will follow an established process for developing planning controls for each train and tram zone activity centre. This includes looking at the existing buildings, how the land is currently used, transport links and infrastructure.
The plans for 10 activity centres that were part of the pilot program have now been finalised. For more information, visit the Activity Centres Pilot Program page.
Throughout 2025 and 2026, we’ll develop plans for a further 50 centres.
We expect the majority of train and tram zone activity centre plans will include a ‘core’ and a ‘catchment’ area. Some will also have ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ catchment area.
| Core | Inner catchment | Outer catchment |
|---|---|---|
| Various heights between three and 12 storeys in most centres and up to 20 storeys in some places in the largest centres | Up to for storeys, and up to six storeys on blocks larger than 1000m2 | Up to three storeys, and up to four storeys on blocks larger than 1000m2 |
The core is the central part of the train and tram zone activity centre, closest to public transport, jobs and services. This area is best suited to accommodate more homes.
As you move away from the commercial and community core of the train and tram zone activity centre, we expect that the proposed building heights will gradually decrease. This will allow a transition between the activity centre and the surrounding suburb.
There are two new planning tools that support the delivery of more homes in train and tram zone activity centres.
These will make it easier for councils and planning authorities to encourage more homes to be built close to public transport, jobs and services in their own municipalities, helping all levels of government play their part in delivering more homes for Victoria.
A new Built Form Overlay (BFO) has been developed to make planning controls in activity centre ‘cores’ clearer and more consistent across Melbourne.
The overlay determines building heights and design rules, and introduces a new streamlined planning pathway to allow more homes to be built faster. If an application is ‘deemed’ to comply’ with the BFO standards, it cannot be refused a permit on the basis of those standards.
The new Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) has been developed to enable a diversity of housing in the catchments, and other well-serviced locations with convenient access to public transport, jobs and services. The HCTZ only applies to existing residentially zoned land.
Catchment areas are great places for the types of townhouses and smaller apartment buildings these reforms are designed to support.
Find out more about residential development provisions:
Throughout 2025 and 2026, we’ll consult on 50 train and train and tram zone activity centres. These are separated into two Stages (1 and 2). Each group is arranged into ‘clusters’ according to geographic location.
Stage 1
| Cluster | Station/Train and tram zone activity centre | Local Government Area (LGA) |
|---|---|---|
| Thornbury | Hight Street (Thornbury), St Georges Road (Thornbury) | Darebin |
| Heidelberg | Heidelberg | Banyule |
| Middle Footscray to Tottenham | Middle Footscray (Seddon), West Footscray, Tottenham (Braybrook - Central West) | Maribyrnong |
| Hawthorn, Glenferrie, Auburn and Kew Junction | Hawthorn, Glenferrie, Auburn, Kew Junction | Boroondara |
| Tooronga to Holmesglen | Tooronga (Malvern Village), Gardiner & Glen Eris, Darling, East Malvern, Holmesglen | Stonnington, Monash |
| Carnegie to Oakleigh | Carnegie, Murrumbeena, Hughesdale, Oakleigh | Glen Eira, Monash |
| North Brighton to Sandringham | North Brighton, Middle Brighton, Hampton, Sandringham | Bayside |
| Merri-bek | Brunswick Train and Tram Zone Activity Centre (Sydney Road), Coburg | Merri-bek |
Stage 2
Stage 2 centres are listed below. Please note we have not yet finalised the clusters for these locations. They are shown according to their LGA.
| Station/Train and tram zone activity centre | Local Government Area (LGA) |
|---|---|
| Riversdale & Willison, Ashburton | Boroondara |
| Caulfield, Glen Huntly, Ormond, Bentleigh, Elsternwick | Glen Eira |
| Springvale, Noble Park, Yarraman, Dandenong | Greater Dandenong |
| Mentone | Kingston |
| South Yarra, Toorak, Hawksburn, Prahran, Windsor, Armadale, Malvern, Toorak Village | Stonnington |
| Blackburn, Nunawading, Mitcham | Whitehorse |
Consultation phases
There are two phases of consultation for each stage of train and tram zone activity centres:
In Phase 1, we want to hear your views on how to improve access to housing, while enhancing the things that make these areas great places to live. Phase 1 consultation for centres in:
In Phase 2, we’ll be back to show local communities draft maps that forms part of the plan for each centre. We’ll want to know if we’ve got the details right, or if there’s anything that we’ve missed. Phase 2 consultation for centres in:
Following Phase 2 consultation, we’ll report back and implement our plans (subject to approval by the Minister for Planning). We expect this process to take place:
For more information on upcoming consultation periods and how you can participate, visit Engage Victoria website.
Feedback provided during consultation periods on the Activity Centre Pilot Program in August 2024 is helping to shape planning for the next 50 activity centres. See below for more:
We heard you want to see more homes, and different kinds of homes, close to public transport options and local infrastructure.
Our new planning controls, along with other housing initiatives, will help ensure a variety of housing to be built. These include through programs such as:
We heard that upgrading local infrastructure is important to support more homes, so we’re introducing a new funding mechanism to raise funds for new and upgraded local infrastructure.
For the 10 activity centres in the pilot program, this will come into effect in January 2027.
We’re reviewing and refining the funding approach for the next 50 train and tram zones activity centres.
We heard about the importance of preserving and protecting open space while we plan for more homes, so we’re proposing strong protections to limit overshadowing of parks, and new requirements to support tree planting on larger sites.
We are also delivering the $30 million Pick My Park Program, where communities will be able to share and vote for ideas for new and improved parks. For more information, visit Pick My Park.
We heard that Victorians want to see more homes in places that are well-serviced by public transport, so the expanded Tram and Train Zone Activity Centres Program focuses on creating capacity for more homes in places with the best access to trains and trams.
We heard about the importance of heritage in some activity centres, so the proposed planning controls consider existing heritage controls
There will be no changes to heritage overlays, or amendments to local or state planning policies relating to heritage, as part of the program.
Page last updated: 22/09/25
