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What are we proposing?

The planning scheme describes and controls how land in an area can be used and developed. The current planning scheme for the Brunswick Activity Centre is so complex it is very difficult for anyone to understand what use and development Council and the community support.

  • Create a single Brunswick Activity Centre Zone for the area
  • Divide the new zone into use-based precincts: Core Employment, Multi Use, and Housing
  • Encourage a wide range of business uses across the industrial and commercial areas of the centre
  • Require more commercial floor space in new developments in commercial areas
  • Introduce requirements for the design of commercial tenancies
  • Strengthen the focus on housing in residential areas
  • Strengthen consideration of noise and other amenity issues between business uses and apartments
  • Make guidance about building design easier to navigate, more consistent and stronger across the whole centre
  • Strengthen consideration of sunlight to key streets and parks
  • Improve consideration of main pedestrian and cycling routes
  • Strengthen consideration of amenity impacts from new buildings on surrounding residents
  • Strengthen environmentally sustainable design considerations including provision for electric vehicles, urban heat mitigation and four waste bins
  • Require affordable housing.

Why?

The Merri-bek communitys vision is to: Live locally, have vibrant businesses, encourage more businesses to invest, have access to services. Council has been working towards this vision in many ways.

But in the Brunswick Activity Centre, new developments are focusing on apartments and not providing enough space for new businesses.

Merri-bek City Council wants to encourage business investment and jobs in the Brunswick Activity Centre to ensure the vibrancy of the area does not decline.

More information about the background to the proposed Brunswick Activity Centre Zone, is in the Draft Brunswick Activity Centre Structure Plan (PDF 3.17MB).

Elements that will not change are:

  • How tall buildings should be
  • How far buildings should be from property boundaries
  • How much car parking buildings should have
  • The opportunity for community to have a say on planning applications.

Council is considering reviewing building heights and heritage in a future project, but this is not something that is being proposed at the moment.

The state government is responsible for the planning system and processes, including community involvement. These are things that Council cannot change and are outside the scope of this project.

In 2021 and 2022 Council invited ideas from the community about how we could ensure the Brunswick Activity Centre is a vibrant area to live, work and play.

We have used this feedback to guide the changes we’re proposing. To find out more about what you told us and the resulting key proposed changes, read our Find out more about Vibrant Brunswick page.

A report on the feedback to date (PDF 2.12MB) is now available to read.

Proposed Brunswick Activity Centre

The map below outlines the proposed borders of the Brunswick Activity Centre zone. The draft Brunswick Activity Centre will apply to all properties within the boundary.

You can enter your address in the search bar on the map to see if your property is located within the proposed zone.

This map is best seen on a desktop or laptop computer

If you have neither, consider visiting one of our libraries.

If you have trouble reading this map please contact Principal Strategic Planner, Karen Bayly via KBayly@merri-bek.vic.gov.au or 9240 1111 and she can tell you if your property is included in the proposed Brunswick Activity Centre.

Collecting your feedback

After checking the map and reading the draft Brunswick Activity Centre Zone (PDF 1.6MB), please share your thoughts with us. You can:

Merri-bek City Council acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional custodians of the lands and waterways in the area now known as Merri-bek, and pays respect to their Elders past and present, as well as to all First Nations’ communities who significantly contribute to the life of the area.


Contact Us

Phone
+61 3 9240 1111

Email
conversations@merri-bek.vic.gov.au

National relay service
133 677
(ask for 03 9240 1111)

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