East Malvern

Reference

current

Published: March 2026

Last updated: 08 March 2026

The vision for East Malvern

The following vision for East Malvern 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.

East Malvern is a community focused centre shaped by its connection to Waverley Oval, Gardiners Creek Trail and local facilities.

Thoughtful design along Waverley, Malvern and Belgrave Roads will create a more active, inviting environment while respecting the area’s strong community identity.

This area is already changing so it is important to have an overall plan to ensure the right services are delivered to support a growing population density.

East Malvern community member

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

Community members told us they value the heritage homes and landscape features that define East Malvern.

The CRG recognises East Malvern as an area where the existing green spaces are central to the local identity. For this reason, Non‑Heritage Main Street Core typology has been applied along Waverley Road and sunlight to nearby Waverley Oval is protected, within the East Malvern core.

We heard that the community generally supports higher density housing close to public transport and along commercial corridors such as Waverley Road.

Tooronga to Holmesglen 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

East Malvern 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 East Malvern, the inner catchment responds to Waverley Road, the station and Waverley Oval. The outer catchment responds to Heritage Overlay precincts.

What we are doing for your community

In response to feedback, we've:

specified active frontages along Malvern Road, Waverley Road and Belgrave Road to encourage pedestrian and commercial activity
applied the highest sun protection to Waverley Oval due to its strategic location and its high value for the community
applied heights of up to six storeys to the East Malvern activity centre
added higher sun protections to Waverley Road, a key pedestrian street, to enhance the pedestrian experience.

Refer to the following plans:

Plan 11: East Malvern typology, activation and setbacks
Plan 12: East Malvern 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 11 (above): East Malvern 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 12 (above): East Malvern 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.