Boronia Renewal Project (Amendment C192knox)

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The Boronia Renewal Project aims to support population growth and future planning for the Activity Centre. It sets out planning controls for future land use in the Boronia Major Activity Centre.

About the project

Boronia has been identified by the State Government as a Major Activity Centre.

This means it needs to be a hub for services, employment, housing, public transport and social interaction.

The Boronia Renewal Project responds to this by:

addressing key social and economic challenges
coordinating the planning and design phases for infrastructure and service delivery
planning policies and built form controls for future land use in the Boronia Major Activity Centre.

Activity centres and urban renewal

A Major Activity Centre is a mixed-use urban area for commercial and other land uses. It attracts people for shopping, working, studying, recreation or socialising.

Urban renewal involves updating an area to improve local jobs, investment, and housing. It can mean:

rezoning land
improving facilities
redevelopment
identifying transport and infrastructure needs.

Boronia Renewal Strategy 2019 (revised 2021)

A key part of the Boronia Renewal Project is the adopted Boronia Renewal Strategy.

The strategy provides a framework for growth over the next 20 years.

About the strategy

The strategy focuses on five themes:

economic development and investment
land use and built form
movement and access
public spaces
community wellbeing and infrastructure.

The strategy also aims to redefine the Boronia Major Activity Centre Boundary.

Read the Boronia Renewal Strategy

Council adopted the strategy and Planning Scheme Amendment C192knox on 27 May 2024.

About the Amendment C192knox

Amendment C192knox seeks to implement the objectives and strategies of the Boronia Renewal Strategy 2019 (revised 2021) through the application of local policies, changes to zones and overlays, and other consequential changes to the Knox Planning Scheme. Notably, a new Design and Development Overlay - Schedule 10 will be applied to proposed Precincts 1, 2 and 3 of the Major Activity Centre. The land affected by the amendment is the Boronia Major Activity Centre as shown on the following map:

Boronia map

Timeline

Find out more about the chronology of the Boronia Renewal Project.

Date	Action	Minutes
11 September 2017	Council endorsed the Boronia Renewal Project key stage and timeline at Strategic Planning Committee (SPC).	SPC minutes
23 April 2018	Council endorsed the Boronia Renewal Project Community Engagement Program at Council meeting.	Council minutes
22 October 2018	Council endorsed the “draft Boronia Renewal Strategy 2018 for consultation purposes”.	Council minutes
26 August 2019	Council resolved to seek authorisation to prepare and exhibit the Amendment C178knox to the Knox Planning Scheme. (Amendment C178knox was ultimately abandoned and replaced by Amendment C192knox).	Council minutes
16 December 2019	Council adopted a series of background report to the Boronia Renewal Project, including the Community Engagement Report.	Council minutes
23 August 2021	Council resolved to seek authorisation to prepare and exhibit the Amendment C192knox to the Knox Planning Scheme.	Council minutes
6 March 2023 – 13 April 2023	The Boronia Renewal Strategy and Amendment C192knox were placed on exhibition.
25 September 2023	Council considered preliminary recommendations from officers and appointed an independent Planning Panel.	Council minutes
10 November 2023	Planning Panel Directions Hearing.
8 December 2023	Planning Panel Hearing hosted at Knox Community Arts Centre, Bayswater.
16 February 2024	Panel Recommendations Report	View report
27 May 2024	Council adopted the Boronia Renewal Strategy 2019 (revised 2021), and Planning Scheme Amendment C192knox with changes regarding Bambury Street. Council also resolved to write to the Minister of Planning pursuant to Section 20(4) of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 requesting that she prepare, adopt and approve an amendment to extend Design and Development Overlay Schedule 7 (DDO7) until 15 December 2025.	Council minutes
23 September 2024	Amendment C203knox submitted to Minister for Planning to extend the DDO7 expiry date.
7 October 2024	Amendment C192knox submitted to Minister for Planning for approval. The amendment is now a 'seriously entertained' amendment.

Related projects

Council is currently involved in other Boronia-based projects to support the Boronia Renewal Project as part of Building a better Boronia.

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257 Dorset Road

This site is currently vacant following the demolition of the Boronia Youth Hall.

The long-term use of the site has not yet been determined. In the meantime, the site is available to the public as a temporary open space.

We consulted with the local community on how the space can be used. Based on feedback, the following have been installed:

seating
planter boxes
plants.

The future of this site will be determined at a later stage once the Boronia Renewal Strategy is finalised.

Lupton Way

Council sought community feedback in early 2020 on a concept plan to inform the development of a detailed design for Lupton Way.

Council implemented the design to improve the accessibility of Lupton Way, so that the space is more inviting and pedestrian friendly. The project was delivered in 2022.

Boronia Retail Precinct Crime Prevention Project

This project resulted in the purchase and installation of an upgraded CCTV system in Boronia. The CCTV system aims to deter crime, reduce graffiti and anti-social behaviour and improve the communities’ perception of safety.

The project was delivered in 2019.

Delivering a safer, more secure Boronia

In 2018, Council officers ran a community safety audit for areas near Boronia train station. This was a joint initiative with Victoria Police and the members of the community.

The aim was to discover where could be made safer with lighting and other potential solutions.

The project resulted in the installation of solar lighting and bollards, in particular along Orchid Ave and Tormore Reserve and the western side of the train station in 2019.

Commuter Car Park, Boronia

The Federal Government announced funding for Boronia in 2019 to increase the capacity of park and ride facilities.

This project is managed by the Victorian Level Crossing Removal Project under the Commuter Car Park Program.

Suburban Revitalisation Fund

In July 2020, the Victorian Government announced funding support to co-invest in Boronia works and upgrades. Additional funding were also provided in 2021 and 2022 to enable the delivery of several projects as part of the Building a better Boronia.

Council will keep engaging with the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions to identify projects and works to benefit Boronia.

Big Move Project: Boronia Train Station Redevelopment Concept

Following feedback received during the Boronia Renewal Project, the draft Boronia Renewal Strategy 2019 (revised 2021) identified the train station precinct redevelopment as crucial to helping deliver the vision of the Strategy. Feedback also identified the need for improvements and potential renewal of public assets within the train station precinct.

Council was successful in obtaining funding under the Streamlining for Growth fund in 2019 to prepare a concept plan for the train station precinct.

More information

Council officers have made the changes to the amendment documentation required in the Council Minutes of the 27 May 2024 Council Report. These changes include:

Applying the Neighbourhood Residential Zone Schedule 1 to Bambury Street and Elsie Street.
Making drafting changes to the Design and Development Overlay as recommended in the Panel Report.

The adopted amendment documentation and strategy should be considered by applicants before submitting a planning permit application to Council for consideration. Please contact Council’s City Strategy and Planning Team on 9298 8000 should you wish to discuss Amendment C192knox further.

Additional information:

Information leaflets

Need help?

Lodge a request with Strategic Planning and we will get back to you.

Or call our City Futures team on 9298 8000.