Mitcham

What we understand about the place and how we’ve addressed it

Mitcham Shopping Centre and the adjacent car parking are important destinations for visitors and residents. The plan has identified it as a large opportunity site capable of greater heights, up to 12 storeys, but we know that it is important to community that this site is sensitive to surrounding development and particularly sensitive to the adjacent residential areas.

The Community Reference Group noted how important sun access is to key pedestrian areas.

Mitcham Road, as the main thoroughfare to the train station, is identified as a key pedestrian street for sun access protection. We have also identified Esplanade Reserve as an open space requiring sun access protection, ensuring it gets enough sunlight to remain a desirable destination.

We heard that the community generally supports a graduation in height within the activity centre to the inner catchment, then the outer catchment and beyond. Within the core, the community prefers higher density housing closer to the train station.

As part of our work, we've applied:

• retained landscape setbacks in places with existing landscaping and canopy trees, to ensure these places continue to contribute to the public realm of Mitcham’s streets
• applied active frontages to ensure the main shopping strip remains vibrant and pedestrian-friendly
• applied sensitive interface setbacks to protect properties to the south and ensure they receive enough sunlight
• applied sun access to Esplanade Reserve to ensure the existing dense trees and vegetation can be sustained and enjoyed by everyone
• applied sun access protection to Whitehorse Road to maintain the existing leafy trees along the service roads.

View the Blackburn to Mitcham core and catchment map.

Mitcham core and catchment explained

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.

The catchment is the surrounding area within approximately 10 minutes’ walk of the core (around 800 metres).

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.

In Mitcham, we’ve applied inner catchment along the key streets, such as Whitehorse Road.

We’ve applied outer catchment to back streets and areas of high community importance, such as the area between Victoria Avenue, Gillies Street, Ormond Avenue and Mitcham Road.

Visit the How we’re planning page to find out more about core and catchment areas, new planning tools, streamlined planning processes and the approach to delivering more homes in train and tram zone activity centres.

Page last updated: 22/07/26