State Government Activity Centres

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The State Government has proposed new planning controls aimed at delivering housing growth in and around 60 Activity Centres close to train and tram lines across Melbourne as part of the Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres Program. This follows State Government planning reforms announced within Plan for Victoria.

Of the 60 identified Activity Centres, 15 are within the City of Stonnington. They are being implemented in three stages: 

Pilot: Implemented

Stage 1: Implemented

Stage 2: Engagement has finalised, and final controls are being prepared, with implementation expected in mid-2026.

Recent Updates

Stage One - Implemented

The State Government has finalised planning controls for Stage 1 of the Activity Centres Program, and the new controls were implemented on 31 March 2026 through planning scheme amendment GC270.  

These controls allow:

  • Heights of 6-12 storeys in commercial areas in Activity Centre ‘cores’. 
  • Heights of 3-4 storeys in residential ‘catchments’ within approximately 800m of the ‘cores'. Heights of up to 6 storeys are allowed on residential lots over 1000sqm closer to the cores.

A formal submission to the State Government responding to their draft plans has been prepared by City of Stonnington. This was endorsed by Council on 27 October 2025, and you can read the Stage One Submission(PDF, 18MB).

Stage Two - Engagement Closed

Engagement for Stage 2 Phase 2 of the Activity Centre program has now closed and feedback is being reviewed by the State Government. Updated controls following the engagement phase are expected later this year.  

A formal submission to the State Government responding to their proposal has been prepared by City of Stonnington. This was endorsed by Council on 16 March 2026, and you can read the combined submission Stage Two Submission. 

The City of Stonnington is continuing to advocate for better outcomes for our community as the State Government finalises the plans.

Further information

We acknowledge the need for additional and diverse housing. Our population is growing and changing. It is important to guide this growth to protect and enhance our much-loved streetscapes and highly valued heritage and neighbourhood character. We must also consider how growth affects infrastructure needs and climate readiness, including canopy cover and greening.

City of Stonnington has a comprehensive existing system of planning controls. These controls were developed with extensive community and expert input and respond to local needs while facilitating growth.

We have progressed projects to improve planning in the municipality, including the Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Activity Centres Framework, which Council formally adopted on Monday 8 September 2025.

These strategies demonstrate how we can meet future housing needs. They identify potential to accommodate 67,000 additional dwellings, exceeding State Government targets for 50,000 dwellings by 2050. This evidence-based approach responds to local context, including heritage and neighbourhood character. We conducted substantial community engagement to inform our work. 

We continue to advocate to the State Government in line with these strategies. Planning needs to consider more than just the heights of new buildings. We need to encourage well-designed, sustainable development while enhancing characteristics that make our neighbourhoods great places to live, work and visit.

The planning controls for the area around Chadstone Shopping Centre were developed by the State Government were gazetted in April 2025 into the Stonnington Planning Scheme. They provide for development of:

  • Six storeys in a ‘core’ area close to Chadstone Shopping Centre.
  • Three to six storeys within the 800m ‘walkable catchment’ of Chadstone Shopping Centre.

Updated controls were introduced into the Stonnington Planning Scheme on 10 April 2025, through Planning Scheme Amendment GC252.

A formal submission to the State Government responding to their proposal was prepared by the City of Stonnington. This submission was endorsed by Counil on 16 September 2024, and you can read the Pilot Program Submission.

The State Government has finalised planning controls for Stage 1 of the Activity Centres Program, and the new controls were implemented on 31 March 2026 through planning scheme amendment GC270.  

These controls allow:

  • Heights of 6-12 storeys in commercial areas in Activity Centre ‘cores’. 
  • Heights of 3-4 storeys in residential ‘catchments’ within approximately 800m of the ‘cores'. Heights of up to 6 storeys are allowed on residential lots over 1000sqm closer to the cores.

A formal submission to the State Government responding to their draft plans has been prepared by City of Stonnington. This was endorsed by Council on 27 October 2025, and you can read the Stage One Submission(PDF, 18MB).

Minimal changes were made by the State Government between their draft plans and the final plans:  

  • Proposed heights were not substantially changed.
  • Core boundaries remained the same, except for around Darling Station, which was slightly reduced to exclude residential areas between Malvern Road and the station. 
  • Areas subject to heritage and neighbourhood character overlays in the residential ‘catchment’ areas have been reassigned to ‘outer catchment’ areas (3 to 4 storey building height), but are not excluded from HCTZ as requested by Stonnington.

The final planning controls do not reflect the controls proposed in the City of Stonnington’s Neighbourhood Activity Centres Framework.  

Stage 1 Activity Centres included: 

  • Tooronga Station
  • Glen Iris Station
  • Gardiner Station
  • Darling Station
  • East Malvern Station 
  • Holmesglen Station

Stage 1 Activity Centres outside of Stonnington that impact properties within Stonnington, include: 

  • Carnegie Station (City of Glen Eira) 
  • Murrumbeena Station (City of Glen Eira)

Further information regarding Stage One Activity Centres can be found on the State Government Stage One - Tooronga to Holmesglen webpage.

Engagement for Stage 2 of the Activity Centre program has now closed and feedback is being reviewed by the State Government. Updated controls following the engagement phase are expected later this year.  

A formal submission to the State Government responding to their proposal has been prepared by City of Stonnington. This was endorsed by Council on 16 March 2026, and you can read the combined submission Stage Two Submission(PDF, 22MB) . 

City of Stonnington is continuing to advocate for better outcomes for our community as the State Government finalises the plans.  

Stage 2 Activity Centres include: 

  • South Yarra Station
  • Prahran Station
  • Windsor Station
  • Hawksburn Station
  • Toorak Station
  • Armadale Station
  • Malvern Station

Stage 2 Activity Centres outside of Stonnington that impacts properties within Stonnington, include: 

  • Caulfield Station (City of Glen Eira)

Council has also produced indicative maps comparing proposed State Government heights with existing allowable heights in the Activity Centre cores, and you can view the Comparison Height Maps(PDF, 10MB). 

Information Webinar

Watch our Webinar Recording: Planning Law Changes and our Plan for Growth, which includes information about the State Government changes, and an outline of Council's strategic work to guide appropriate growth in Stonnington.

Further information

Additional information about the Activity Centre Program can be found on the State Government Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres Program website.

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