What you need to know.

Activity centres

Activity centres are areas that provide services, employment, housing, transport and social interaction to their local communities. They range in size and intensity of use.

Moonee Valley has six major activity centres identified in Plan Melbourne:

Our role is to develop a long-term plan for these centres to ensure that:

  • growth is managed appropriately
  • new locations for community facilities are identified
  • transport infrastructure improvements are coordinated
  • there is a clear advocacy plan for State Government projects.

Structure plans map out a long-term direction for how our activity centres should grow and develop. Work is currently underway to align these plans with MV2040.

Moonee Ponds Major Activity Centre

Moonee Ponds Major Activity Centre is the primary activity centre in Moonee Valley and plays an important role as a regional centre in Melbourne’s north-west. The centre should be supported by:

  • Reinforcing the centre as a destination for retail, business, civic, cultural, creative and entertainment uses.
  • Encouraging higher-density development that respects the local heritage attributes of the area.
  • Designing new development to be sensitive to the surrounding residential areas particularly where they directly interface.
  • Encouraging the activation of the laneway network, including through greening initiatives and public art.
  • Connecting and activating laneways to create a cohesive network for improved pedestrian permeability and vibrancy.
  • Supporting sustainable transport modes by providing high quality bicycle and walking infrastructure and reducing the reliance on the private vehicle.
  • Discouraging the expansion of gambling venues or electronic gaming machines.

MPAC to 2040: Moonee Ponds Activity Centre Local Plan (2021)

MPAC to 2040: Moonee Ponds Activity Centre Local Plan (Local Plan) supports the directions of MV2040 and outlines a vision for the activity centre that is easy to move around, the environment is resilient, the place is full of life and the valued heritage character is protected.

Amendment C207moon implements the Local Plan and associated background documents to ensure it aligns with our vision for MPAC. This includes a suite of mandatory and discretionary planning controls to provide greater clarity regarding development outcomes in the activity centre.

Background documents:

 

mv activity centre local plan

Niddrie-Keilor Road Major Activity Centre

Niddrie-Keilor Road Major Activity Centre is a well-established strip centre providing a local retail focus consolidated in the core retail area. Along Keilor Road there are clearly identifiable land use precincts providing the centre with a vibrant atmosphere both day and night.

  • The centre should be supported by: Facilitating the night time economy.

Niddrie-Keilor Road streetscape upgrade

Council has a plan to beautify, green and upgrade the pedestrian realm in Keilor Road’s Niddrie business area. The Keilor Road Streetscape Plan focuses on the public pedestrian area in Keilor Road, from Elstone Court to Graves Street. It includes a pedestrian oriented streetscape design to support the creation of a vibrant and attractive business area that forms one of the anchors of the healthy, walkable and lively neighbourhood.

In 2019 and again mid-2020, Council collected ideas from the community about how the business area might look and feel in the future along with thoughts on the Draft Streetscape Plan. The findings from the both community consultation have informed the Final Keilor Road Streetscape Plan that was endorsed in September 2020.

The Streetscape Plan includes a range of improvements to ensure the area is vibrant, pedestrian friendly and supports an active business area for Niddrie. Some of the improvements include:

  • Increased tree canopy cover and greening
  • Increased garden planting
  • Upgraded footpath and pedestrian crossing
  • Upgraded street furniture

Funding for construction is contingent on annual budgets. The project team is currently preparing design documentation for construction to commence in financial year 22/23 however this will not be confirmed until the budget for that year is adopted in June 2022.

Update: 01/02/2022

Council is finalising the detail design phase for Keilor Road Streetscape upgrade in Niddrie.

Following on from the concept design of Streetscape Plan, detail design phase involves detailed investigation of the site conditions such as underground service assets, geotechnical and soil investigations, drainage infrastructure etc. This is followed by engineering design as well as coordination with service authorities such as Department of Transport and YarraTrams. The design also reflects recent conversations with businesses, whose outdoor trading arrangement is directly affected by the design.

Click here to view the final design plan.

Keilor Road (Hoffmans Road to Cooper Street) streetscape plan

Following on from the Keilor Road (Niddrie) Streetscape Plan 2020, we have been working on developing a streetscape plan for the next section of Keilor Road between Hoffmans Road and Cooper Street in Essendon North.

Two rounds of community engagement were carried out in late 2022 and mid 2023 to guide the development of the plan (see Community Engagement Report here). The feedback from the community and stakeholders have informed the final streetscape plan completed in June 2023 (see final Streetscape Plan here).

Detail design for this section of Keilor Road will commence in financial year 23/24.

We will post project update on this page throughout the design phase.

Racecourse Road Major Activity Centre

Racecourse Road Major Activity Centre maintains a ‘main street’ feel and is evolving with more retail uses and increased levels of higher-density development. The centre should be supported by:

  • Leveraging the benefits of investment brought by the nearby Arden-Macaulay and Flemington racecourse revitalisation to reinforce the role of the centre as a diverse local cultural and social hub.
  • Encouraging new development that respects the local heritage attributes of the area.

Racecourse Road and Pin Oak Crescent Streetscape and Activation Plan Report

The Racecourse Road and Pin Oak Crescent Streetscape and Activation Plan Report, prepared by consultants ACLA landscape architects and Chatterbox Projects, was adopted by Council in February 2016.

It will be used to inform future landscape capital works projects and ongoing street-based activation programs and projects. This includes future capital works, street furniture upgrades, public art projects and programs, events and other activities. View the report (pdf, 20.5MB).

Airport West Major Activity Centre

Airport West Major Activity Centre provides a varied commercial function and is a key employment base for the municipality. The centre should be supported by:

  • Maintaining the retail focus of the area.
  • Developing the centre as a significant employment hub.
  • Consolidating retail, commercial, community, entertainment, recreational and residential uses in the northern precinct.
  • Supporting the McNamara Avenue precinct to provide local convenience retailing.
  • Improving the northern gateway with distinctive architecture.

North Essendon Major Activity Centre

North Essendon Major Activity Centre serves the local area and provides a complementary role to the larger retail catchments of the Airport West and Niddrie-Keilor Road Major Activity Centres.

The traditional built form and ‘local village’ character of the centre is highly valued. The centre should be supported by:

  • Maintaining the ‘local village’ character of the centre.
  • Enhancing the strong sense of identity by respecting the heritage attributes of the commercial streetscape.

Union Road Major Activity Centre

Union Road Major Activity Centre plays an important local role in providing a range of retail, commercial and community services. The centre should be supported by:

  • Encouraging the activation of laneways and pedestrian amenity improvements.
  • Designing development to respect the heritage values of the commercial buildings.