Coburg

Reference

current

Published: March 2026

Last updated: 08 March 2026

The vision for Coburg

The following vision for Coburg 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.

Coburg will grow into a welcoming mix of homes, shops, workplaces and community spaces. New residents will be close to the upgraded Coburg Station and the renewed Pentridge precinct.

Loved places like Victoria Street Mall and the Coburg arcades will remain at the heart of the community, offering spaces for people to meet, shop and connect.

We support quality higher density development around Coburg Station. We are interested in impacts to the open space and general character of the area because it is a fantastic, family-friendly, walkable environment.

Coburg community member

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

Coburg is a welcoming, multicultural community that celebrates and supports its local small businesses. The fine‑grain scale of Sydney Road’s shopfronts is an important feature. These sections of Sydney Road do not have heritage overlay protection. We have applied the Non‑heritage Main Street typology to these areas, which will encourage design responses that respect Sydney Road’s existing built form, for example by setting a lower street wall height.

Community members said how important it is to preserve gathering places such as Victoria Street Mall and parks. That is why we have planned sun access protections for key streets and parks including Victoria Street, Sydney Road and Bridges Reserve.

We heard that community members are generally supportive of development in central areas near Coburg Station and on Bell Street. These areas have been identified by Merri‑bek City Council in its draft framework for central Coburg as suggested focus areas for redevelopment, and the delivery of new community infrastructure such as a library and piazza and a health and community services precinct.

We have worked to ensure our planning complements and enables Merri‑bek City Council’s concept for central Coburg.

Merri-bek 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

Coburg 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 Coburg, the inner catchment responds to the concentration of services and amenities near Coburg Station and in the Pentridge Precinct. The outer catchment responds to a comfortable walking distance to Coburg and Batman stations.

What we are doing for your community

Active frontages along Bell Street will help encourage ground floor amenity and support pedestrian activity.
Pedestrian connections will link Coburg train station to homes, shops, valuable civic uses and open spaces.
We have applied master planning requirements in some areas to encourage site‑specific design responses.
Taller maximum building heights have been applied closer to the Coburg train station.
Sun access protections for Bridges Reserve and City Oval will mean that while more people will live close to this open space, its benefit to the wider community will not be diminished by overshadowing.

Refer to the following plans:

Plan 5: Coburg typology, activation and setbacks
Plan 6: Coburg 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): Coburg 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): Coburg 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.