The Victorian Government has released draft planning maps for 23 remaining Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres, inviting communities to weigh in on how more homes should be built close to transport, jobs and services.
The maps, released by Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, outline proposed building heights and boundaries across some of Melbourne’s most connected suburbs. They form the next stage of a program designed to increase housing supply near train stations, tram routes and established centres, while setting clearer rules for where development can occur.
The draft zones cover a mix of major stations and smaller neighbourhood centres. Five are linked to the Metro Tunnel and areas where services have increased, including Caulfield, Springvale, Noble Park, Yarraman and Dandenong. Eight sit along the Frankston Line, which has recently returned to the City Loop, stretching from Hawksburn and Toorak through to Bentleigh and Mentone. Four are on the Sandringham Line, which is due to see more frequent services later this year, while three centres on the Belgrave and Lilydale lines benefit from frequent peak services between Ringwood and the city. Additional neighbourhood centres include Ashburton, Riversdale and Willison on the Alamein Line, along with Toorak Village along the Route 58 tram corridor.
The draft zones cover major stations and neighbourhood centres across Melbourne, spanning Metro Tunnel sites, Frankston, Sandringham, and Belgrave–Lilydale line stations, along with smaller centres on the Alamein Line and the Route 58 tram corridor
“These are draft maps,” the government said, with the next phase focused on detailed community consultation. A similar process was used for the first ten pilot centres, with changes made following local feedback.
Under the proposed framework, each centre is organised around a core area close to stations or tram stops, surrounded by walkable catchments. In the core, the plans allow for more homes in taller apartment buildings, with heights clearly mapped and varying by location. Some cores propose six storeys, while others allow up to 20 storeys where this aligns with existing council planning work. Buildings that meet these rules would be fast-tracked and exempt from VCAT review, while proposals exceeding the mapped heights would not qualify for this pathway.
Beyond the core, the draft maps take a more modest approach. Inner catchments, roughly a five-minute walk from a station or centre, propose limits of four storeys, or six storeys on larger sites. Outer catchments, up to a ten-minute walk, generally propose three storeys, or four on larger blocks. Existing heritage and landscape overlays would remain, and the government says residents’ rights to be notified and have a say would not change.
Minister Kilkenny said the aim was to give people more choice about where and how they live. “We want more Victorians to have the opportunity to live close to public transport, their loved ones, and the things that matter to them,” she said.
She said the reforms were intended to support a range of housing types, from apartments near stations to townhouses and family homes in established suburbs. “Whether it’s making it easier to build homes close to public transport, townhouses in our inner suburbs, or family homes with a backyard – our planning reforms are all about giving more Victorians real housing choice,” she said.
The consultation follows strong interest in the first round, which attracted more than 1,000 people to online and in-person sessions and generated over 3,000 submissions. The second round will run across February and March, focusing on the detail of the draft maps, including heights, setbacks and boundaries.
The government estimates that by 2051, train and tram zones could help deliver more than 300,000 new homes. Final plans for all 50 activity centres are expected to be completed by mid-year, with the two remaining inner-Melbourne zones covering the City of Melbourne and Yarra to be handled through a separate process.
The reforms are also being framed in sharper political terms. “While we’re focused on giving more young Victorians the opportunity to have a home of their own, the Liberals are blocking them from being built. They oppose more homes near transport, jobs and services,” Ms Kilkenny said.
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