Monash is growing, and we need to plan now to cater for this growth in the decades ahead, actively delivering more homes and jobs where people want to live. As Australia’s largest housing project, Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) will not only connect our suburbs and slash travel times, it will ensure our city grows in the right places, supporting the delivery of more housing choice on the doorstep of world-class public transport, services, jobs, schools, parks and cafés.

The Vision for Monash sets out the long-term aspiration for the precinct to cater for anticipated growth. It sets the strategic direction for future planning and will inform the Monash Structure Plan. Together, these will guide planning, investment and development initiatives in the precinct.

Keep an eye out for the Draft Structure Plan in early 2025 – this will detail proposed land use and building height changes for further consultation.

The Vision for Monash includes a vision statement and a Conceptual Precinct Plan.

The Vision for Monash

Monash is already home to globally-recognised education and research institutions and will grow as Melbourne’s epicentre for innovation in health, medicine, materials and manufacturing. Its role as a knowledge-intensive business destination of state, national and global significance will be strengthened, bringing together multinational enterprises and young entrepreneurs from mature and emerging sectors. These will be the jobs and industries essential to Melbourne’s future competitiveness and prosperity.

With a strong emphasis on sustainability and working partnerships between government, institutions, industry and business, Monash will be acknowledged for its leadership role, showcasing the strong connection between world-class research discoveries, new technologies and economic growth.

In the streets, squares and public spaces around the SRL underground station, a new centre of activity will unfold transforming and enhancing the local character of the area and connecting to the open and recreational spaces of the university. A dynamic mix of social, cultural and commercial experiences will create opportunities for people to connect, collaborate and share their ideas. It will have an eclectic feel, where new buildings sit alongside spaces that have been adapted for businesses to grow. Cafes, small bars, eateries, retail and entertainment options will support vibrant public life that spills out to the streets.

Over time, Monash will have increased housing diversity for all kinds of people – providing more homes for students, researchers, academics and entrepreneurs in Monash’s smart, sustainable neighbourhoods. People will be able to mingle with visitors from all over the world. Improved walking and cycling infrastructure will complement high-frequency public transport to reduce reliance on cars and create a walkable community.

At Monash, SRL East will unlock a knowledge and innovation precinct of global impact.

Conceptual Precinct Plan

The Conceptual Precinct Plan for Cheltenham is a spatial representation of the Vision.

The plan identifies where longer-term change is expected to occur into the 2050s as Monash grows.

From time to time the plan may be refined by SRLA, in response to community needs and the detailed technical studies that will support the planning implementation through structure plans and planning scheme amendments.

How your feedback has directly shaped the Vision for Monash

Ideas, issues and opportunities from several years of community and stakeholder consultation have been essential to forming a long-term vision for Monash that reflects the community’s needs and expectations, as well as addressing the requirements of a growing population.

Feedback from community and stakeholders has shaped the Vision for Monash, with the following updates made since we consulted on the Draft Precinct Vision in 2023/24:

Enriching Community

• Reaffirms the precinct’s ambition to be a leading employment centre, supported by housing that offers students, specialist workers and families places to live close to the new station
• Expands medium and higher change areas to encourage improved housing choice east of Blackburn Road and south of Wellington Road

Boosting the Economy

• Identifies the importance of a diverse mix of uses close to the station, reflecting that Monash needs places for day-and-night activity, providing much-needed amenities for the people who work and live in the precinct
• Provides clearer guidance on locations with a greater emphasis on diversified employment

Enhancing Place

• Clearly sets out the aspiration for development within Monash to occur at a range of scales, supporting both increased housing development and building typologies that can support innovation and employment
• Focuses the greatest intensity of change on the mixed-use and employment land immediately around the station and north towards Ferntree Gully Road
• Identifies areas for medium level change to reflect the precinct’s need to accommodate many different types of businesses

Better Connections

• Includes key cross-precinct connections between the university campus and the employment land around Nantilla Road, reflecting feedback that this area needs to be better integrated with the existing education and employment hubs
• Prioritises a new street grid at the centre of the precinct, complemented by a network of strategic links that will be encouraged to develop over time

Delivering the Vision for Monash

SRLA is responsible for preparing and applying the required planning controls that will help to realise the Vision, commencing with the preparation of the Monash Structure Plan.

The draft structure plans for each SRL precinct and associated technical studies, along with draft planning scheme amendments, will be publicly released for consultation in early 2025. During this time people will have the opportunity to provide further feedback via a formal submission.

The draft structure plans for each SRL precinct and associated technical studies, along with draft planning scheme amendments, will be publicly released for consultation in early 2025.

Following exhibition, the Minister for Planning may refer public submissions to an independent Advisory Committee which will consider the draft planning scheme amendments. If approved, the planning scheme amendments will be gazetted in 2026, meaning they will come into effect.

You can stay up to date with the structure planning process and opportunities to have your say by subscribing to our enews.

The engagement timeline for the SRL East structure plans and planning scheme amendments: