Caulfield Structure Plan

What is a structure plan?

A structure plan is a long-term plan that guides decisions about future development on private and public property. Structure plans can address a broad range of issues including land use, development, housing, employment, heritage, building and urban design, transport, parking, community infrastructure (open spaces, public spaces and community spaces), environment, sustainability and infrastructure provision. A structure plan’s primary benefit is that it provides coordination and gives greater certainty about future outcomes for government, community, developers and other stakeholders.

The Structure Plan

Caulfield is a strategically significant activity centre in the City of Glen Eira due to its links with Monash University Caulfield Campus, Caulfield Racecourse Reserve and the Caulfield Station transport hub. 

The Caulfield Structure Plan provides a vision for the future use and development of the Caulfield Major Activity Centre area.

Caulfield Major Activity Centre will be a significant destination for education, employment, recreation and events. The revitalised Caulfield Racecourse Reserve, University campus, and public transport interchange will create a thriving hub of day and night activity, which will be boosted by a significant incoming and diversified population.

At its heart the Caulfield MAC will offer a local shopping experience, with a diversity of small scale shops, local services and facilities. Local traders foster the character of the Centre, serving the expanding local community as well as visitors to the Centre.

A sustainable Centre with distinctive neighbourhoods will emerge with access to diverse housing, employment, services, retail, and community spaces. It will feel reconnected to the local community and to the major places within it through people friendly streets, convenient public transport options, and a distinctive character that showcases its local history, cultural heritage, and heritage built form.

The vision is supported by principles and strategic directions which focus on thriving destinations and places and sustainable and liveable areas and include:

• Revitalise and reconnect Caulfield Station as the ‘heart’
• Integrate the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve and University into the precinct
• Define two distinct main streets historic Derby Road and Caulfield Boulevard
• Enhance the ‘street life’ of Caulfield
• Re-shape and refresh the public spaces of Caulfield
• Revitalise Dandenong Road — a valued boulevard with safe crossings and access points
• A new ‘Outer Track’ loop
• Support and grow the local day and night-time economy
• Build an authentic local ‘Caulfield’ identity
• A Caulfield urban forest, prioritising trees, landscaping and biodiversity
• Create well designed buildings and ‘elegant density’ with an interesting, varied skyline.

The Caulfield Structure Plan provides centre wide initiatives for land use and activity; access and movement; open space, public realm and landscape; urban grain and built form; sustainability; and local culture and heritage.

Current status:

The Caulfield Structure Plan [PDF, 52Mb] was adopted by Council on 20 September 2022.

Council are now preparing draft planning controls and a planning scheme amendment to implement the Caulfield Structure Plan. This includes changes to zones, overlays and planning policy in line with the adopted structure plan.

These will be presented to Council for in 2023 to consider before been submitted to the Minister for Planning for authorisation. Once we receive authorisation, the Structure Plan and planning scheme amendment will be exhibited to the community for a period of six weeks.

For more information on the plan, contact our City Futures Team on 03 9524 3333.

What areas are included in the draft Caulfield Structure Plan?

The draft Caulfield Structure Plan includes the Caulfield Station, Caulfield Racecourse Reserve, Monash University’s Caulfield campus, Glen Eira College, Derby Road shopping strip, Caulfield Village, Glen Huntly Park and East Caulfield Recreation Reserve, as well as some housing and industrial land.

What's happened so far?

The project began when the Minister for Planning directed the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) to prepare the plan in partnership with Glen Eira City Council, City of Stonnington, Department of Transport, Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust and other key stakeholders.

In late 2020, the VPA handed over lead responsibility for the project to Glen Eira City Council. The VPA concluded work after two phases of community engagement and background work, which enabled Council to prepare a draft Caulfield Structure Plan for community engagement in early 2022.

You can read more about the project’s history on the VPA website and in the related resources below. 

Council prepared a draft Caulfield Structure Plan. Community engagement on the draft Plan was open for approximately two months in March and April 2022. Submissions and further analysis informed development of the final Caulfield Structure Plan.

Council adopted the final Caulfield Structure Plan (PDF, 52Mb) on 20 September 2022 at the Ordinary Council Meeting, with the change to reduce the preferred maximum height for the land at 964–972 Dandenong Road and 4 Grange Road Carnegie (within the Grange Precinct) to nine storeys with a four storey street wall height.

Shadow Diagrams — Grange, Booran, Kambrook and Derby Precincts (PDF, 3Mb)

To download the minutes and agenda, visit our Ordinary Council Meeting — Tuesday 20 September 2022 page. 

Council is now preparing draft planning controls and a planning scheme amendment to implement the Caulfield Structure Plan. A further report for approval will be brought to Council for approval in 2023 before a Planning Scheme Amendment process including formal exhibition of the controls is progressed.

For more information, contact Council’s City Futures Department on 03 9524 3333.