The State Government through the Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) has announced the new C3Z as part of a wider package of actions to promote local employment and ‘enterprise precincts’. The DELWP Practice Note 85 – ‘Applying the Commercial 3 Zone’ which accompanies the C3Z  explains that:

 The Commercial 3 Zone is a new planning tool which can be applied to help facilitate business growth and innovation in select parts of Victoria. It is a mixed-use employment zone which is intended to facilitate the establishment and growth of creative  industries, small manufacturers and start-up businesses. The zone promotes the creation of dense, economically diverse, affordable, accessible and amenity-rich precincts which are attractive to new and emerging businesses.

 The Practice Note goes on to set out the features of the zone:

• Providing for a range of industrial, commercial, office and other employment generating uses which support the mixed-use employment function of the area.
• Promoting collaborative and high-quality working environments which support the area through good urban design and high amenity, accessible and well-connected places.
• Providing opportunities for limited retail uses which are complementary to the role and scale of the area.
• Providing the option for limited residential uses that do not undermine the primary employment and economic development focus of the zone.
• Facilitating the use, development and redevelopment of land in accordance with the objectives specified in a schedule to the zone.

Details of the new zone, Practice Note and some of the supporting reports associated with the zone are at the DELWP website:

https://www.planning.vic.gov.au/policy-and-strategy/unlocking-the-economy/supporting-material/more-information

Councils can now consider where the C3Z might be applied. The new zone will come into legal effect from early October 2018.

Please contact David Walmsley, Manager City Strategy on 9205-5350 or at [email protected]  for more information.