Heidelberg Road forms the boundary between the City of Darebin (north side) and the City of Yarra (south side).

Heidelberg Road is an established employment precinct and presently there are no particular design controls or height limits for new development along the corridor. This project seeks to implement planning provisions to guide future development and provide more certainty for the community and landowners.

To set the broad strategic planning directions for the future of the corridor, Darebin City Council and Yarra City Council have developed the overarching draft Heidelberg Road Corridor Local Area Plan.

Darebin Council has assessed the land currently zoned for industrial and commercial uses on the north side of Heidelberg Road and is considering planning options informed by these assessments.

The technical studies used to inform Council’s options and the Local Area Plan are available to read in the document section to the right of this page:

Please visit Heidelberg Road Heritage - Planning Scheme Amendment C203dare project page for further information on this project.


Proposed Planning Considerations

Council’s planning approach includes considering rezoning the existing industrial land to the Commercial 2 Zone and Commercial 3 Zone (one site only) to attract a wider range of jobs or alternatively, we could retain the current zoning.

In addition, building height limits, setbacks on commercial land, overshadowing controls and side and rear setbacks are proposed to be introduced. Council is also considering whether building heights should be discretionary or mandatory building height limits (mandatory height cannot be varied).

Seven properties have been identified as having local heritage significance, and are recommended for protection by a Heritage Overlay in the Darebin Planning Scheme. The proposed heritage overlay is now the subject of Planning Scheme Amendment C203dare.

For an overview of the project you can:

What has happened so far

Consultation on the proposed planning changes for the Heidelberg Road Corridor occurred from June to August 2021. Thank you for your feedback!

At its meeting on 27 September 2021, Council resolved to proceed with the Heidelberg Road Heritage - Planning Scheme Amendment C203dare to progress the protection of heritage places identified in the Heidelberg Road Corridor ahead of other proposed planning changes.

On 20 January 2023, notice of the approval of Planning Scheme Amendment C203 (Heidelberg Road Heritage) appeared in the Special Government Gazette.

While the heritage controls were progressed, the findings from the Heidelberg Road Corridor Local Area Plan and Built Form Framework community engagement were reported to Council at its Planning Committee meeting on April 11, 2022. Council resolved to note the findings and for officers to continue to undertake further strategic work on the broader project.


What is happening now

Further strategic work, including an updated economic analysis to factor in post-pandemic conditions, is needed to inform a decision on the rezonings and built form framework that were proposed and tested through earlier consultation. This work is planned for the first half 2024.


How to stay updated

To find out more about the proposed considerations to the Heidelberg Road Corridor project:

  • Please subscribe (to the right of this page) for updates on the project to ‘stay informed’.
  • For further information, please contact us at planning.services@darebin.vic.gov.au or call Strategic Planning on 8470 8324.
  • If you would like to speak to someone in your preferred language about the Heidelberg Road Corridor Project, please contact us or call 8470 8470 to be connected to a Language Aide or an interpreter.


To receive updates please “Follow” the project using the button at the top of the page.

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