Middle Brighton

Reference

current

Published: March 2026

Last updated: 08 March 2026

The vision for Middle Brighton

The following vision for Middle Brighton train and tram zone activity centre is built from the Statement of Advice prepared by a Community Reference Group (CRG) made up of local residents.

Middle Brighton will continue to be known for its beautiful heritage buildings, welcoming public spaces and strong sense of community pride.

New homes and infrastructure will be carefully planned to enhance the area’s character and values. Greener, tree-lined streets and more pedestrian-friendly spaces will make the centre cooler, healthier and even more enjoyable for everyone.

We would like to see a mix of large and small development in this area that is appropriate for families and diverse members of our community.

Middle Brighton community member

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

Middle Brighton is widely recognised for its lively and bustling atmosphere, attracting people from across Melbourne. Its wide variety of shops and services make it a popular destination that thrives both day and night. That is why we have applied primary active frontage along the majority of Church Street to ensure high levels of activation still take place.

The CRG noted how important the charm of the centre and its natural environment are for Middle Brighton.

The streetscape of Church Street is defined by generous tree canopy cover, providing shade, comfort and visual appeal, further enhancing the amenity of the public realm.

We have introduced sun access protections along Church Street to protect the health of these canopy trees, and landscape setbacks along Wells Street to ensure new development accommodates the retention of existing trees.

We heard that the community is generally supportive of development being focused along Church Street.

Middle Brighton core and catchment map

A graphical representation of the scale of density within activity centre areas. — Scale of density from core to the outer catchment

Core	Inner catchment	Outer catchment
Various heights between six and 16 storeys in most centres, with potential for taller heights in some places in the larger centres	Up to four 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

Middle Brighton 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 building heights will gradually decrease. This will allow a transition between the activity centre and the surrounding suburb.

In Middle Brighton, the inner catchment responds to Church Street and the station. The outer catchment responds to heritage overlay precincts.

What we are doing for your community

As part of our work, we've:

applied the non‑heritage main street core typology to most blocks along Church Street to retain the charm and main street feel of the activity centre
applied primary active frontages along Church Street to ensure a high level of activation is retained
applied landscape setbacks in locations such as Wells Street to preserve tree canopy cover
specified a height maximum of six to eight storeys for most of Church Street, except for a couple of larger sites where there is a height of 12 storeys
identified the Well Street park south of Church Street for sun protection
identified Church Street as a key pedestrian street to protect sun access to footpaths and encourage people to linger.

Refer to the following plans:

Plan 5: Middle Brighton typology, activation and setbacks
Plan 6: Middle Brighton building heights and sun protection

Plans

The built form outcomes and building heights for the activity centre core are set out on the following plans:

Plan 5 (above): Middle Brighton typology, activation and setbacks (Note: Typology refers to a building type that is suitable for a particular set of lot types and locations. Street activation requires new buildings to provide open and inviting shopfronts to encourage lively and safe streets. A setback is the minimum distance a building must be placed away from a property boundary, road, or natural feature.)

Plan 6 (above): Middle Brighton building heights and sun protection

The plans support the right types of homes being built in the places they fit best. These are some of the kinds of homes you might see more of in the future.