About the Heathmont Activity Centre Structure Plan

In August 2013 Council formally endorsed the Heathmont Activity Centre Structure Plan.

The structure plan is a strategic planning document which gives effect to the policies and objectives for use and development of land in the State and Local Planning Policy Frameworks. It guides major changes to land use, built form, access and movement networks, and public spaces that together can achieve environmental, social and economic outcomes for the activity centre.

The structure plan was developed in collaboration with key stakeholders and was informed by extensive community consultation and discussion with the Heathmont community. During this process Heathmont residents and local traders identified the need to manage the provision of parking within the busy Canterbury Road commercial shopping precinct. In particular, the key issues identified from the consultation were:

• traffic

• car parking

• pedestrian safety, including access to Heathmont railway station and across the railway line.

In September 2016 a petition with close to 1900 signatures from the community called for Council to respond to the Heathmont Activity Centre Structure Plan, and to provide additional parking for the Heathmont Village shopping precinct as a priority, given the popularity of the area and the demand for parking exceeding the supply.

In response, Council resolved to complete a detailed investigation into the matters raised and to determine whether the provision of additional parking for the shopping precinct was feasible. It was noted at that time, there was no Council owned land available in proximity of the shopping precinct for the construction of new carparking.

Gazetted by the Victorian Minister for Planning on 11 October 2018, the Heathmont Activity Centre Planning Scheme Amendment C97:

• Amended Clause 21 of the Local Policy Planning Framework, and updated the Municipal Strategic Statement in the Maroondah Planning Scheme
• Applied a new Design and Development Overlay (DD08) for the commercial area in the Activity Centre
• Rezoned three properties, including 127B Canterbury Road, Heathmont from a railway use designation to a Commercial Zone 1.

To read more on the Heathmont Activity Centre Structure Plan visit the important links section on this page.