Objectives

• To encourage more intensive development in a variety of high quality forms and design responses that respond to the Eltham form and character and create a safe, stimulating and enjoyable experience for people in the Activity Centre.

• To ensure that elements that contribute to the form and character of Eltham such as timber in buildings, simple, robust design elements, verandahs with timber colonnades on the outer edge and art on the façade of buildings is incorporated in developments.

• To ensure that the built form of the town centre responds to, enhances and links to the Eltham Activity Centre’s ‘green spine’ of Alistair Knox Park and other parkland along the Diamond Creek.

• To positively contribute to the visual amenity of the area through new development and redevelopment within the Activity Centre.

• To ensure building heights, setbacks and form have regard to the surrounding development and the character of the locality in which the development is situated.

• To ensure the exterior of buildings fit the character of the area by utilising earthy toned colours and materials such as stone, wood, render and mud brick.

• To ensure that building setbacks achieve spatial proportion to the street and define the street edge, providing a high amenity for uses of the street.

• To maintain appropriate levels of solar access to existing and proposed public spaces.

• To avoid underdevelopment of land within the Activity Centre.

• To ensure development manages off-site amenity.

• To create a transition in uses and built form scale between the town centre and the nearby residential precinct.

• To increase activity and passive surveillance in the main retail and mixed-use areas.

• To reduce the visual dominance of car parking and ensure the design of parking and access areas is safe, practical and attractive.

• To ensure that pedestrian routes, streets, footpaths and open spaces interact with and are overlooked by buildings.

• To provide continuously accessible pathways within the Activity Centre and connecting to surrounding suburbs.

• To ensure that development sites with front, side or rear setbacks are extensively landscaped with native vegetation so as to contribute to the Eltham form and character, and to enhance local habitat corridors.

• To ensure buildings are of a high quality design and construction and include the use of materials and colours of muted tones that blend in with the surrounding environment.

• To ensure that any basements do not extend into landscaped areas which would prevent the planting of vegetation.

Strategies

• Building heights across the Activity Centre should be no greater than 5 storeys, with 3 storeys adjacent to existing residential hinterland.

• Tallest buildings (5 storeys) are within Precinct 1 and to emphasise the entrance to the town centre and energise the commercial core, and Precinct 3 adjacent to the train station, away from sensitive lowscale residential interfaces.

• Redevelopment of parts of Main Road in Precincts 1 and 3, and 10 and 12 in the BSBA, should be built to the front boundary with car parking either provided in basements or behind the building.

• Main Road and its width and location next to Eltham Train Station make it opportune to provide higher density mixed-use buildings, maintaining commercial uses at the ground floor and providing office or residential uses above.

• Redevelopment along Main Road between Arthur Street and Luck street will require basement access from the side streets, rather than Commercial Lane.

• Development on large, amalgamated lots should respond to the existing streetscape rhythm and character, through providing building articulation that reflects the existing lot grain and patterns.

• The street wall height should respond to the existing built form, creating a continuous built form scale with recessive upper levels.

• Redevelopment should respond to the architectural style and materials that complement the natural surroundings, vegetation and topography.

• Redevelopment should respond to the distinct fine grain character along Main Road.

• Additional active frontages and passive surveillance will contribute to the vibrancy of the Activity Centre.

• Consider as part of streetscape upgrades opportunities to minimise the impact of rubbish disposal infrastructure (e.g. bins and storage) and services (e.g. waste removal servicing) upon the amenity of the Activity Centre.