State government defines 121 Major Activity Centres (MACs) to provide a broad range of goods and services, diversifying their offerings, focusing on mixed-use development including retail, commercial and residential, and ensuring they are well connected (see more).

Nillumbik has two MACs, including:

• Eltham, and;
• Diamond Creek

Structure plans define the preferred future directions of of an activity centre and articulate how it will be managed.

Structure plans give effect to the policies and objectives set out for activity centres in state policy and provide for changing community needs.

They guide the major changes to land use, built form and public spaces that together can achieve economic, social and environmental objectives for the centre.

Nillumbik Council's adopted structure plans (2020) set out the overall vision for the Eltham and Diamond Creek Major Activity Centres along with objectives, strategies and design guidelines focused on five key areas:

• land use activities and development
• built form character
• movement and access
• landscape and place activation
• community and leisure

The Activity Centre Zone (ACZ) is the preferred zone to guide and facilitate land use planning in activity centres, in line with State government requirements for all Planning Schemes across Victoria (see more).

Planning schemes contain policies and provisions that control land use and development. They are made up of maps and ordinances.

Ordinances are the policies and written clauses, and maps depict where zones and overlays apply within a planning scheme area.

Planning schemes are approved by the Victorian Government. You can find the Nillumbik Planning Scheme here.

Changes to the planning scheme are called amendments and the process is set out in the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

Planning schemes require changes from time to time to achieve certain planning outcomes, support new policies, and to ensure that requirements continue to meet the needs of the local community.

If you have been given notice of the amendment, you may be affected by, or have an interest in the proposed changes. You may own property, live nearby or be planning on developing property in the affected areas.

The documents available to you for inspection are for your information and you do not have to do anything further if you do not wish to do so.

A submission is made in writing by anyone who may be affected by a planning scheme amendment to express their views about any of the changes proposed. A submission may be made in support of the amendment or opposing the amendment. A submission which opposes the amendment must explain the reason why and what changes could be made to the amendment to satisfy the concerns raised in the submission.

All submissions received are public documents and Council is obliged by the Planning and Environment Act 1987 to consider all submissions as part of the amendment process and make all submissions publically available for inspection at its offices.

If concerns cannot be resolved by making changes to the amendment, Council may refer unresolved submissions to an independent planning panel for review.

A panel is appointed by the Minister for Planning to hear submissions about amendments to planning schemes, and to make recommendations or provide advice about if the amendment should proceed.

It will have one or more members, depending on the issues involved.

The basic role of a panel is to:

• give submitters an opportunity to be heard in an informal, non-judicial manner
• give expert advice to the planning authority – usually the local council – or the minister about an amendment and about submissions referred to it.

A panel is not a court and is not bound by legal rules of evidence.

A panel may inquire into all aspects of the amendment and submissions (see more).

Each submitter will receive a letter that explains the process, invites them to participate in the hearing and provides indicative dates for the hearing.

The panel will conduct a hearing where those wishing to speak can be heard and at the conclusion of the hearing, the panel will review all of the submissions and information presented at the hearing and prepare a report. This panel report provides advice and recommendations about the amendment.

Once the amendment is adopted by Council, it will be submitted to the Minister for Planning for approval. The time frames are outside of Council's control.