Yarra's economy is changing. Once it was a hub of industry and manufacturing and now there are jobs in the knowledge and service sectors as well as in the creative economy.  

These changes alter the way our employment land is used.

At its meeting  on 4 September 2018,  Council adopted the Spatial Economic and Employment Strategy (SEES), which is intended to assist Council to understand, and capitalise on, Yarra’s economic strengths and respond to the key trends and economic drivers over the next 10 to 15 years.

The Spatial Economic and Employment Strategy (SEES) includes 6 directions which will inform new policy in our planning scheme.  Our planning scheme is the tool we use to guide the way our employment land is used in future.

Strategy 1: Support employment growth in activity centres;

Strategy 2: Retain and grow Yarra’s major employment precincts (Cremorne / Church St and Gipps St Major Employment Precincts);

Strategy 3: Identify preferred locations for housing growth to reduce pressures or conversion of employment land for housing;

Strategy 4: Support the expansion of Yarra’s health related employment and services in Yarra’s health precincts;

Strategy 5: Retain other C2 zoned land to support the diversity of business and employment opportunities; and

Strategy 6: Plan for the transition of Yarra’s remaining industrial areas (longer term these areas will need investigating for their future development, land use and economic opportunities).