A proposed new planning policy framework was considered by Yarra Council at its Meeting on Tuesday 3 August 2021. The framework was approved to be sent to a planning panel for further review. 

Read about Amendment C269 in the Minutes from this week's Council meeting.

Amendment C269 aims to improve the way Council makes planning decisions and promotes appropriate development outcomes across the city. It also seeks to balance the needs of future housing and economic growth with the unique character and heritage of the city, leading on sustainability and enhancing Yarra’s natural environment.

The community has been actively engaged in the C269 process for a number of years.

In addition to broad community engagement throughout the policy rewrite and amendment process, Council also undertook a deliberative panel process with 60 randomly selected members of the community.

The policy framework in C269 sets a clear framework to manage growth and change in Yarra. 

More information about Amendment C269

Find out more about Planning Scheme Amendments, or click on the links to find answers to frequently asked questions about Amendment C269:

• What is Amendment C269?
• What is the decision before Council?
• What are the next steps in Amendment C269?
• What was the consultation process for this Amendment?
• How is Amendment C269 managing growth and change in Yarra?
• What are the residential housing change areas?
  • What is a minimal change residential area?
  • What is an incremental change residential area?
  • What is a moderate change residential area?
  • What is a high change residential area?
• How is development height managed?
• How are activity centres classified?
• Can activity centres be reclassified?
• Can the policy include mandatory height controls?
• How does the proposed policy support affordable housing?
• How does the proposed planning scheme promote Yarra's economic activities?
• How is Yarra's heritage being protected in Yarra's activity centres in the proposed planning scheme?
• How does the policy protect Yarra's landmarks?
• How does the Amendment protect Yarra's natural environment?
• How does the policy safeguard Yarra's open spaces?
• How does Amendment C269 respond to the climate emergency?

What is Amendment C269?

Planning Scheme Amendment C269 introduces local policies to improve the planning decision framework and reflect the needs of a growing and evolving city.

It presents them in a new format (a State format) to simplify the planning policy and rules. It does not include any specific changes to zones or heights.

What are the next steps in Amendment C269?

This shows the steps in the planning scheme amendment process. The Amendment is currently at stage 3. 

The next step in the Amendment process is an Independent Planning Panel Hearing (step 4 in the figure), which:

• allows submitters to articulate their submissions to an independent planning panel
• allows the Panel to provide advice and make recommendations to Council on the amendment. Council can then make an informed decision about the amendment.

What was the consultation process for this Amendment? 

Yarra Council undertook exhibition of the Amendment C269 from August to December 2020 for 12 weeks (there was a break for council elections). 

424 submissions were received. If Council decides to refer Amendment C269 to the independent planning panel, previous submitters will be able to submit to the Planning Panel. 

How is Amendment C269 managing growth and change in Yarra? 

Amendment C269 is managing growth and change by:

• Protecting residential neighbourhood heritage areas by guiding development to specific areas. 
• Providing clarity around the areas where midrise is appropriate and how it should be designed.
• Providing clear strategies to avoid highrise development.

What are the residential housing change areas? 

As more people choose to call Yarra home, housing growth needs to be planned and managed in a way that maintains liveability.  

Yarra’s Housing Strategy, which was adopted in 2018, includes housing change areas to differentiate between those that have the capacity to accommodate minimal, incremental, moderate, and high change housing growth.

The housing change areas are based on: 

• types of development allowed in each zone
• access to services, public transport, employment and activity centres
• land constraints, lot size, development activity and emerging character
• community feedback.

What is a minimal change residential area?

Residential areas that have limited capacity to accommodate future housing growth. Minimal change areas usually have one or more of the following characteristics:

• They are within established residential areas (Neighbourhood Residential Zone) that have heritage significance.
• Have small lot sizes.
• Have detached and dual occupancy dwellings.
• Minimal change areas apply to over 58% of Yarra’s residential land.
• This change area would continue to accommodate one or two dwellings on typically small individual lots.

What is an incremental change residential area?

Incremental areas are residential, mixed use and commercial areas that have the capacity to accommodate a more modest level of housing growth over time. 

Incremental change areas generally display one or more of the following characteristics:

• Within established residential areas (General Residential Zone)
• Within mixed use and commercial areas that have heritage significance, including cohesive and highly intact heritage streetscapes and buildings
• Have consistent fine-grain subdivision pattern and small lots sizes
• Have detached, dual occupancy and smaller scale apartment dwellings.
• Incremental change areas are proposed to apply to over 21% of Yarra’s residential land.
• The provisions of the zone and/or Heritage Overlay in the Yarra Planning Scheme will determine the scale and form of residential growth in these areas.

What is a moderate change residential area?

Moderate change areas that have the capacity to accommodate moderate housing growth. Moderate change areas generally display one or more of the following characteristics:

• They are within or close to activity centres that have heritage significance, sensitive interfaces and other site constraints.
• Have excellent access to services, open space and public transport.
• Have mixed lot sizes.
• Moderate change areas apply to over 12% of Yarra’s residential land.
• This change area would accommodate medium density residential and mixed use development in the form of apartment buildings, that respond to heritage significance and streetscape character.

What is a high change residential area?

High change areas are sites that have capacity to accommodate substantial housing growth. High change areas generally display one or more of the following characteristics:

They are within or close to activity centres that do not have site constraints.

• Have excellent access to services, open space and public transport.
• Have large lot sizes.
• High change areas are proposed to apply to over 8% of Yarra’s residential land.
• This change area would accommodate higher density residential and mixed use development in the form of apartment buildings.

How is development height managed?

Amendment C269 sets out expectations for height in that development reflects the predominant low-rise character of the area, and mid-rise is directed to specific areas. It also sets out the type of built form outcomes expected from a midrise development, such as contributing to high-quality built form, or improving the public realm. 

Specific controls for height and setbacks are defined in other parts of the Planning Scheme eg:  Development Plan Overlay (DPO) or Design and Development Overlay (DDO).

There is no change to these as part of Amendment C269. Council is working on DDOs through separate amendments.  

Drafting of DDO planning provisions is continuing in: 

• Heidelberg Road
• Swan Street
• Victoria Street and Bridge Road
• Collingwood South (mixed use land)
• Fitzroy / Collingwood
• commercial and mixed-use land generally along Brunswick / Smith / Gertrude / Johnston Streets
• commercial and mixed-use land in Fitzroy West, and Alexandra / Victoria Parades.

How are activity centres classified?

Yarra’s Major and Neighbourhood activity centres are predominantly along and around the main retail shopping streets. They feature highly intact heritage streetscapes and heritage places that are valued by the community.

The Neighbourhood Activity Centres in C269 are currently identified as Neighbourhood Activity Centres in the existing planning scheme. 

Yarra’s Major activity centres are defined by Plan Melbourne.

The centres are defined by the State Government’s Plan Melbourne 2017- 2050 that identifies: 

• Major Activity Centres (MAC’s) provide access to a wide range of goods and services, some serving larger subregional catchments.
• Neighbourhood Activity Centres (NAC’s) provide access to local goods, services and employment opportunities and serve the needs of the surrounding community. 

Can activity centres be reclassified?

Plan Melbourne 2017- 2050 designates Major Activity Centres; however, it does not designate what areas are Neighbourhood Activity Centres and does not refer to Local Activity Centres at all.

Council undertook a review of the Activity Centres in 2019 which supported:

• maintaining Rathdowne Street south (between Fenwick Street and Princes Street) as a Neighbourhood Activity Centre. This designation is considered appropriate as the centre provides good access to local goods, services and employment opportunities and serves the needs of the surrounding communities.
• redesignating the following Neighbourhood Activity Centres to Local Activity Centres as they provide a limited range of goods, services and employment to adjoining communities: 
  • Berry Street/Ramsden Street, Clifton Hill
  • Lygon Street, Carlton North / Princes Hill
  • Nicholson Street south, Carlton North
    
  • Rathdowne Street north, Carlton North (near Richardson St)
  • Spensely Street, Clifton Hill.

Can the policy include mandatory height controls?

New mandatory height controls are not included in Amendment C269 as these are specific Design and Development Overlay provisions, and C269 is updating ‘policy’ only.

Mandatory heights cannot be applied municipal wide as comprehensive strategic work is needed to support their introduction (this is called ‘strategic justification’).

How does the proposed policy support affordable housing?

Amendment C269 promotes well designed public, social and affordable housing. It includes guidelines for a minimum of 10% affordable housing for a rezoning of land to residential or in the case of development of 50 or more dwellings – these provisions are not currently in the planning scheme.  

How does the proposed planning scheme promote Yarra’s economic activities? 

Amendment C269 continues to promote Yarra’s strong and mixed economy by:

•  Supporting retail proposals that add to the sustainability and vitality of activity centres
• Encouraging improvements to shop fronts and retail premises to improve the quality of the built environment in activity centres.
• Ensuring shopping centres or internalised mall developments provide active street frontages, a pedestrian interface and integrate with their surrounds.
• Growing Yarra’s employment areas by supporting the:
  • growth of health and education related employment and services in health and education precincts
  • major employment precincts at Cremorne and the Gipps Street
  • industrial and commercial areas.
• Supporting a night-time economy and entertainment precincts.
• Ensure sensitive land uses (such as residential uses) are designed and located to minimise the potential conflict with existing surrounding employment.

How is Yarra’s heritage being protected in Yarra’s Activity centres in the proposed planning scheme?

Amendment C269:

• Encourages the sensitive, adaptive re-use and restoration of heritage buildings in activity centres.
• Supports development that improves the built form character of activity centres, whilst conserving heritage buildings, streetscapes and views to identified landmarks.
• Values the heritage significance of Yarra’s shopping strip streetscapes and buildings. 

The character and elements of heritage significance for each centre are reflected through Council’s DDO work programme which underpins built form provisions, controls, and policy.  As part of introducing DDO into the Scheme, policy can be updated to address the character and ensure development retains the heritage streetscape and/or heritage buildings in a centre where relevant. 

How does the proposed policy protect Yarra’s landmarks? 

The proposed policy strengthens Yarra’s existing requirements and provides clarity around the primary views and architectural elements.

How does the Amendment protect Yarra’s natural environment? 

Amendment C269 includes strategies to:

• Protect the natural environment, landscape values and cultural heritage of the Yarra River and the Darebin and Merri Creek corridors.
• Protect and enhance Yarra’s biodiversity by creating, improving and connecting new and existing green spaces.
• Encourage the retention of significant trees and landscape features that contribute to biodiversity.
• Promote the planting of indigenous trees and understorey vegetation in open spaces and along roads and railways to provide connections between habitats. 

How does the policy safeguard Yarra’s open spaces? 

Amendment C269 seeks to protect existing open space and increase the quality and quantity of open space. 

Changes to the public open space contribution is part of a separate Amendment C286. This policy also includes provisions for development adjoining open space.

How does Amendment C269 respond to the climate emergency?

Amendment C269 contains climate policy including: 

•  Yarra’s declaration of a climate emergency.
• Integrating climate adaptation principles, environmental and sustainability.
• Creating a built environment that mitigates and adapts to climate change.
• Directing growth to activity centres, major employment precincts, employment land and around public transport.
• Promoting land use and development that support a shift to sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.
• Supporting environmentally sustainable development.
• Create a healthy and growing urban forest.
• Reduce the urban heat island effect.