Activity centres - planning guidance

About activity centres

Metropolitan Melbourne has a network of activity centres and this includes:

• Metropolitan activity centres
• Major activity centres
• Neighbourhood activity centres

Activity centre plans will guide investment in the things a growing suburb needs like community facilities, public spaces and parks.

Activity centres need to provide a broad range of goods and services, diversifying their offerings, focusing on mixed-use development including retail, commercial and residential, and ensuring they are well connected. This will support local economies and the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Activity centres promote sustainable, vibrant communities and will be a focus of change over the next 30 years. Government policy seeks to increase the concentration of activities within the network of activity centres, both existing and planned.

Development of this network of activity centres is critical to metropolitan Melbourne's future economic performance. The intent is to substantially reinforce the network by connecting Metropolitan and Major Activity Centres into an expanded public transport network, and encourage more mixed-use development in appropriately located centres.

Metropolitan activity centres

These are higher-order centres intended to provide a diverse range of jobs, activities and housing for regional catchments that are well served by public transport. These centres will play a major service delivery role, including government, health, justice and education services, as well as retail and commercial opportunities.

Read about Victorian Government's Housing Statement activity centres.

Neighbourhood activity centres

These are local centres that provide access to local goods, services and employment opportunities and serve the needs of the surrounding community. These centres serve smaller, local areas and have an important role in giving people the ability to meet most of their everyday needs within a 20-minute walk, cycle or local public transport trip of their home – an important factor in creating healthier communities, lowering greenhouse emissions and delivering 20-minute neighbourhoods.

Further information about Neighbourhood Activity Centres is available from the responsible local council.

More information about 20-minute neighbourhoods.

State planning policy

State planning policy supports development of more than one main activity and business district in Melbourne. These intensified activity centres located outside central Melbourne are connected by high capacity public transport routes, linking universities, research and technology precincts, medical precincts and areas with high employment. Development of regional centres that provide high quality services and a mixture of uses is also strongly supported.

These policies support a better distribution of business activity, jobs, housing, services and transport connections closer to where people live and work.

Activity centres are a focus for housing, commercial, retailing, community, employment, transport, leisure, open space and entertainment. They are places where people shop, work, meet, relax and live. State planning policy encourages the concentration of these services within activity centres and recognises that activity centres are ideally placed to provide different types of housing, including higher density housing. As such, activity centres are a major focus for change in metropolitan Melbourne and across Victoria.

To support growth, clause 11.02 of the Planning Policy Framework includes strategies to ensure sufficient land is available to meet forecast demand. Planning should aim to accommodate projected population growth over a 15 year period, with clear direction provided on locations where growth should occur.

Page last updated: 17/04/24