Glen Iris

Reference

current

Published: March 2026

Last updated: 08 March 2026

The vision for Glen Iris

The following vision for Glen Iris 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.

Glen Iris will build on its distinctive interwar character and village feel. Careful planning will support new homes that respect local heritage while adding to everyday convenience.

With strong tram and train connections, Glen Iris will become an even more people friendly centre.

I agree with the move for higher density living close to inner city and well-established infrastructure. This is a great opportunity to shape the future.

Glen Iris community member

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

Members of Glen Iris’ community value the mix of character‑filled buildings and community focussed spaces around the Glen Iris Activity Centre core.

The CRG recognises Glen Iris as an area that offers a rare blend of accessibility, green space and heritage character. They have highlighted how important the heritage along High Street is.

To preserve the heritage character and honour its history, we’ve applied the Heritage Main Street Core typology along High Street.

We heard that the community is generally supportive of mixed‑use buildings and a diversity of housing types that is guided by a clear urban design approach.

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

Glen Iris 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 Glen Iris, the inner catchment responds to Malvern Road’s services and the 6 Tram (Moreland to Glen Iris). The outer catchment responds to Heritage Overlay precincts.

What we are doing for your community

In response to feedback, we've:

applied active frontages along Malvern Road and High Street to encourage lively pedestrian and commercial activity in Glen Iris
applied heights of up to six storeys along High Street, and up to eight storeys to large lots on Malvern Road
designated High Street as a key pedestrian street with higher sun protection, recognising the important retail and commercial activity on the street.

Refer to the following plans:

Plan 7: Glen Iris typology, activation and setbacks
Plan 8: Glen Iris 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 7 (above): Glen Iris 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 8 (above): Glen Iris 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.