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Illustration of a streetscape showing density of buildings.
New housing plans offer active transport solutions

The Victorian Government has announced an ambitious program to stimulate housing development at ten suburban activity centres across Melbourne.

It will introduce new planning controls to encourage more homes, and a greater diversity of housing.

Working with local councils and community, the program aims to enable the delivery of an estimated 60,000 homes through a review of building heights and design requirements, and changes to existing planning rules.

Compact and attractive urban environments can help active transport to flourish if cycling and walking are made easier.

Everything that families need, including jobs and education, are close by and consequently more people switch to bike transport.

So, it is essential that the transport planning for these locations fully recognises this inevitable mode shift and properly plans and provides for it.

Good plans for active transport are already being developed for the Suburban Rail Loop station precincts so a similar model could be produced for the ten activity centres.

The state government is seeking preliminary feedback from the community on the vision for:

  • Broadmeadows
  • Epping
  • Frankston
  • Ringwood
  • Camberwell Junction
  • Chadstone
  • Moorabbin
  • Niddrie–Keilor Road and North Essendon
  • Preston–High Street.

The public can go to an online page for each centre and post ideas about how they could be developed. Click your way through to the suburbs you might be interested in: https://vpa.vic.gov.au/metropolitan/activity-centres/