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Land use and built form in Seddon

Seddon is characterised by low-rise residential development in the form of workers' cottages and consists of two commercial centres: the Seddon Neighbourhood Activity Centre (SNAC) and Gamon Street Local Centre (GSLC).

While the suburb has experienced some incremental development, with new development within the SNAC generally being three-storey mixed-use with retail and commercial outlets on the ground floor.

The draft Seddon Neighbourhood Plan recognises that with an additional 425 homes needed to meet the projected population increase, consideration needs to be given now to how this future housing and associated infrastructure can be accommodated.

It considers how the land will be used and outlines preferred land use patterns and activity to support this growth. The Plan also includes built form recommendations that would support new housing opportunities while aligning with community aspirations to maintain the low scale character of the area.This includes elements such as maintaining the fine grain retail shop fronts, preferred maximum building heights and setbacks, limiting overshadowing of private open space and footpaths and includes a desire for diverse housing.

This includes things like consistency of the streetscape, building mass and height, setbacks, space around properties, and whether development is diverse.

Explore below how the draft Plan proposes to strengthen current land use patterns and enhance the function of the Neighbourhood Activity Centre through the application of built-form guidelines, then share your feedback.

Land use

The key land use challenges in Seddon, identified through previous engagement and review, are:

  • a lack of planning guidance to deliver high-quality sustainable buildings
  • limited commercial offerings to meet the community’s daily needs
  • limited housing opportunities to meet a growing population
  • inconsistent land uses in the SNAC that weaken its economic and social role
  • a lack of recognition of Seddon’s cultural and historical character
  • increased demand for community spaces and services to respond to future population and demographic changes
  • numerous vacant and under-utilised sites.

Recognising the forecast population increase, the draft Plan proposes to strengthen current land use patterns to respond to a projected need for an additional:

  • 425 dwellings by 2051
  • 2,000-3,000sqm of additional retail floor space by 2036
  • 1,500-2,000sqm of additional commercial floor space by 2036.

While infill development will occur throughout the suburb, it is expected the majority of new residential, retail, and commercial development will be concentrated in the SNAC. Current land use patterns will also need to be strengthened to provide consistent and complementary zoning to deliver new opportunities specifically within Victoria and Charles streets for new residential and commercial opportunities.

A rezoning of some land through a future planning scheme amendment would be needed to achieve this.

Read more below, then share your thoughts.

Existing and preferred land use patterns

Use the slider tool to see view the proposed changes to the land use patterns.

Existing land use patterns Preferred land use patterns

Land Use Overview

Built form guidelines

The draft Plan outlines a set of built form guidelines for future development of the SNAC where it is expected the majority of new residential, retail and commercial development will be concentrated.

Specifically, the guidelines suggest new growth should be characterised by a four-storey street wall with a retail and commercial ground floor presence, noting developments may reach up to six-storeys on sites with higher development potential, dependent on location, size and other factors.

Read more about the proposed built-form guidelines, then share your thoughts.

Built Form Overview

  • Guide future development that contributes positively to village character and meets expected population growth
  • Ensure appropriate built form and scale
  • Facilitate high quality design that improves overall amenity
  • Ensure new development interacts well with existing development and contributes positively to the public realm
  • Ensure multi-storey development in the Seddon Neighbourhood Activity Centre is in accordance with the Built Form Guidelines
  • Encourage a defined four storey street wall interface along Victoria Street and Charles Street
  • Encourage high quality architecture that responds to the existing fine grain nature of the shopping strip streetscape
  • Ensure developments present a high level of architectural quality and urban design responses that enhances the public realm
  • Encourage building of a “human scale” that provide a high level of external and internal amenity
  • Maintain the fine grain subdivision pattern
  • Encourage active street level frontages/interface that positively contributes to the public realm
  • Encourage development that incorporates attractive and functional communal spaces and provides good amenity
  • Prohibit additional crossovers on Victoria Street and Charles Street within the activity centre boundary
  • Support car parking dispensations for planning permit applications within the Seddon Neighbourhood Activity Centre
  • Encourage sustainable building design which meets best practice environmentally sustainable design standards

Amend the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme to implement the Seddon Neighourhood Plan Built Form Guildlines with the preferred height limits.

Plan of Seddon showing the proposed built form guidelines