STONNINGTON PLANNING SCHEME
21.02
SETTLEMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT
25/01/2012
C142
21.02-01
Natural Environment and Open Space
DATE
C177
Key Issues
 Residents and visitors alike value Stonnington’s natural environment including along the Yarra
River and along the Gardiners Creek.
 The natural areas and urban open space are resources that together provide the best opportunity
to conserve and promote flora and fauna.
 The creation of wetlands, habitat and vegetation areas can enhance the diversity of
opportunities available in the City’s parks and gardens.
 Development needs to be sensitive to its impact on natural areas and open space and
appropriately managed to ensure that the ecological value of Stonnington’s natural resources
remains intact for future generations.
 Management of the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek floodplains is critical to maintaining the
ecological values of these waterways and to lessening the risks of inundation.
 It is important that the risks of inundation of properties are considered when assessing planning
proposals and to avoid inappropriately located uses and development.
 Potentially contaminated sites need to be identified and audited for assessment in relation to
future development proposals.
 Stonnington has a low ratio of public open space compared to the metropolitan average and
adjacent municipalities.
 The distribution of open space across the municipality is uneven, varies in quality and does not
meet changing needs.
Objective
To minimise the impacts of use and development on the natural environment in relation to air and
water quality, recycling, protecting waterways and enhancing public open space.
Strategies
Strategies to achieve this objective include:
Yarra River and Gardiners Creek
 Ensure development along the Yarra River and Gardiners Creek and their floodplains is
consistent with floodplain management objectives and maximises their potential to create
public open space, wetlands and recreational, cultural and other leisure activities.
Land Liable to Inundation
 Ensure development on land subject to inundation is managed to provide for the passage and
temporary storage of floodwaters and to minimise flood damage.
Public Open Space
 Maximise the availability and use of public open space through equitable access, providing
additional spaces in areas of greatest need, improving the range of opportunities available, and
by linking pedestrian and bicycle paths to open space.
 Encourage the maintenance and improvement of open space owned by other authorities.
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 Facilitate the use of Crown or government land for public open space when it is no longer
needed for restricted activities.
 Encourage innovative solutions to increase the amount of public open space available in
Stonnington.
 Seek opportunities to improve and extend the open space system, particularly in areas currently
under provisioned and with projected population increases, including reference to
recommendations in the City of Stonnington Public Realm Strategy October 2010 and in
adopted Structure Plans.
Other
 Ensure that land use and transport planning and infrastructure provision contribute to improved
air quality.
Implementation
Implementation tools to achieve this objective include:
 Apply the Land Subject To Inundation Overlay to flood prone areas along the Yarra River and
Gardiners Creek.
 Apply the Special Building Overlay to land affected by inundation from the drainage system.
 Apply the Significant Landscape Overlay to the Yarra River frontage.
 Apply the Environmental Audit Overlay to potentially contaminated land.
 Apply the Public Acquisition Overlay to land identified for addition to the open space system.
 Use the Open Space Policy (Clause 22.01) in the consideration of planning applications for
subdivision, to ensure contributions are made for the acquisition and development of open
space.
21.02-2
Urban Environment and Character
DATE
C177
Key Issues
 Stonnington’s urban environment and character has developed from a rich social and built
history and the cultural diversity of its population. It is important that future development does
not destroy the positive qualities of this character.
 The vibrant public realm will be undermined if future development does not relate positively to
public spaces.
 Recent increases in population have led to higher housing densities. This has caused a
reduction in public and private open space, creating an additional demand on the public realm.
 Future use and development needs to be well designed and sensitive to positive aspects of
Stonnington’s character.
 It also needs to protect historically and architecturally significant buildings and respect the
City’s vistas and views, especially gateways to the City and the Yarra River environs.
Objective
To ensure that the qualities and attributes that define the City's urban environment and character
are recognised and enhanced.
Strategies
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Strategies to achieve this objective include:
Urban Design
 Maintain a high standard of physical and visual amenity in the public realm in relation to
streetscape improvements, and the design and location of fixtures.
 Encourage high quality design that contributes positively to the character of the City as a whole
and enhances its landscapes, public spaces, buildings, shopping centres, main thoroughfares,
streetscapes and gateway localities.
 Seek opportunities to improve, expand and extend existing, or create new, public spaces, hubs,
links, paths and streets, particularly with reference recommendations in the City of Stonnington
Public Realm Strategy 2010 and in adopted Structure Plans.
Neighbourhood Character
 Encourage use and development that:

Respects the valued built form and character of the local precinct

Provides an attractive entry and exit to the City

Respects Stonnington’s green and garden-like setting

Respects the predominant 2-storey character of residential areas and most commercial areas

Is consistent with valued design features of nearby development
Height & Density
 Manage the height and density of future use and development to enhance the character of
Stonnington’s built form and the City's views and vistas.
 Support development higher than two storeys on land shown on the Strategic Framework Plan,
namely:

Land with a frontage to a Road Zone (Category 1)

Principal activity centres

Identified gateway localities and large sites
 Promote the Forrest Hill Precinct as an area suitable for higher density housing with a mix of
compatible uses and more intensive development on larger sites.
Advertising Signs
 Encourage advertising signs that are compatible with the locality and the building and which
preserve existing vistas and views.
Energy, water and waste efficiency
 Encourage best practice environmentally sustainable principles in the following areas:

Energy efficiency;

Water resources;

Indoor environment quality;

Stormwater management;

Transport;

Waste management;

Innovation; and

Urban ecology.
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STONNINGTON PLANNING SCHEME
 Encourage development to incorporate sustainable building materials with favourable life cycle
impacts based on embodied energy, embodied water, biodiversity impacts, resource depletion
and environment toxicity.
 Encourage ‘white’ and/or ‘green’ rooftops.
Implementation
Implementation tools to achieve this objective include:
 Apply the Design and Development Overlay in the consideration of planning applications in
relation to:

The Royal Botanic Gardens

The Shrine of Remembrance and its outline

Skyline areas along the Yarra River

Waverley Road Activity Centre

Forrest Hill Precinct
 Apply the Neighbourhood Character Overlay and the Design and Development Overlay to the
Hedgley Dene Precinct.
 Use the Urban Design and Forrest Hill policies (Clauses 22.02 and 22.17 and Schedule 8 to
Clause 43.02) in the consideration of planning applications.
 Use the Advertising policy (Clause 22.03) in the consideration of planning applications.
 Apply the Environmentally Efficient Design Policy (Clause 22.22) to ensure that best practice
sustainable design is achieved in new development.
21.02-3
Heritage
15/02/2007
C65
Key Issues
 There are many buildings and areas of historic, architectural or cultural significance in
Stonnington reflecting important aspects of the City’s evolution and heritage.
 Provisions relating to heritage places will influence future development in the City. They
include controls over demolition and works on heritage buildings, in conservation areas, and
over protected streetscapes.
Objective
To protect Stonnington’s heritage places - buildings, areas and streetscapes - and to ensure that any
additions, alterations and replacement buildings are sympathetic to the heritage place.
Strategies
Strategies to achieve this objective include:
Heritage Places
 Identify, assess and protect places with architectural, cultural or historical significance.
 Ensure that any additions and alterations and replacement buildings are sympathetic to the
heritage place and its setting.
 Retain, recycle, restore and renovate protected heritage places.
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STONNINGTON PLANNING SCHEME
Streetscapes Trees and Gardens
 Protect significant streetscapes, trees and gardens.
 Develop a register of significant trees and gardens and encourage their retention.
Implementation
Implementation tools to achieve this objective include:
 Apply the Heritage Overlay to identified places.
 Use the Heritage policy (Clause 22.04) in relation to sites identified in the Heritage Overlay
and abutting properties.
 Apply Council's Heritage Guidelines (2002) for new buildings, and for changes to existing
buildings to ensure new development is compatible with heritage values.
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