We’re defining preferred future character objectives in Bayside’s General Residential Zones (GRZs) to better protect and respect local character in areas that will experience moderate growth.

The boundaries of General Residential Zones are not changing.

General Residential Zones are typically areas that are well connected to shops, services, jobs and transport. Because these areas are designed to facilitate moderate growth, this can lead to an obvious contrast in character between older homes and more recent additions to the neighbourhood.

If you live in or adjacent to a GRZ area, we'd like your feedback on the character aspects that you prefer and feel are most representative of your area, and would like to see in future developments. These aspects can include roof types, garden areas and position, fencing, landscaping, and separation between buildings, for example.

Feedback will be used to set preferred future character objectives for specific precincts within GRZs. These character objectives would sit under applicable schedules in the Bayside Planning Scheme to guide the assessment of future development proposals that require planning approval, with the aim of establishing and protecting a preferred future character.

Community consultation on character in Neighbourhood Residential Zones is expected to occur next year.

General Residential Zones (GRZs) are mainly located within and around activity centres/shopping precincts. These zones are designed to facilitate moderate growth within areas that are well connected to services, jobs and transport.

The Victorian Government has mandated that all areas in and around Melbourne (not just Bayside) must take their share of our state’s population growth. For Bayside this means an additional 7,500 homes by 2036. Much of this growth will be within General Residential Zones, which cover around 15% of Bayside. Mandatory height limits are already in place across almost all of Bayside – including within GRZs. This review is looking to strengthen character requirements for future development.

Within General Residential Zones, there can be an obvious contrast in character between older housing stock that was built under a very different planning regulations and more recent additions designed to facilitate moderate growth. Character statements within schedules in the Bayside Planning Scheme will help to address and reduce this contrast.

Protecting character is not about stopping or restricting development, but ensuring new development provides housing supply and diversity, while respecting the local character.

In planning terms, ‘character’ is a description of how distinctive and common features of an area come together to form a visual identity – put simply, it’s the look and feel of a place. For example, building height, building materials, landscaping, setbacks from boundaries and many more elements combine to form a local character.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning expect that neighbourhood character is balanced with the need to accommodate moderate growth. If a proposed planning scheme amendment does not demonstrate this balance, it is unlikely to be approved.

Feedback from this consultation will be used to set preferred future character objectives and design guidelines for General Residential Zones in the following locations:

• Church Street Activity Centre
• Bay Street Activity Centre
• Martin Street Activity Centre
• Hampton Street Activity Centre
• Sandringham Village Activity Centre
• Pennydale Activity Centre
• Elsternwick Housing Growth Area
• Cheltenham Housing Growth Area

Council is expected to consider community feedback and if a planning scheme amendment is required at its February 2022 meeting.

The next step would be to submit a proposed planning scheme amendment to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), which will decide if this amendment can proceed to the public exhibition stage. The public exhibition stage is a 28-day statutory consultation where community members and stakeholders can make a submission that responds to the proposed planning scheme amendment.

Following a second and statutory phase of community consultation, Council will consider community submissions and decide if the amendment(s) will be submitted for Ministerial approval, referred to an independent planning panel, or be abandoned.

If an independent planning panel is established, this would provide an opportunity for people who made a submission during the statutory phase of consultation to be heard and have their submission considered by the independent panel.

The final step is to submit the amendment(s) to the Minister for Planning for incorporation into the Bayside Planning Scheme.

Please note that the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning expect that neighbourhood character is balanced with the need to accommodate moderate growth. If a proposed planning scheme amendment does not demonstrate this balance, it is unlikely to be approved.