Engagement for the plan

You told us you want affordable, diverse housing near public transport, schools, parks and essential services. You supported more social and affordable housing, especially in areas with greater need and various types of housing to meet different ways of living.

You told us new homes must be high-quality: well-designed and well-built for comfort, quality of life, health, wellbeing and sustainability.

University and TAFE students want more affordable, better-quality and secure housing options. School students want different types of housing to suit different people and families.

Many of you said affordability is the most important factor when choosing a place to live. For First Peoples, being close to family and friends is the second most important factor, highlighting the importance of inter-generational connection.

Regional Victorians wanted more homes to be built to ease local housing pressures, attract more people to the regions and improve the economy outside of Melbourne.

While it’s clear that Victoria needs more homes, you told us it’s vital that local areas maintain their local characters, including the heritage and environmental features you value.

You told us you want accessible jobs and services and better public transport, roads and active transport paths to improve how you get about.

You want public transport to be more frequent and better connected, especially in places with limited access to it. People in rural areas rely more on private vehicles as there is little or no public transport. They want more investment in roads to make it easier to get about.

Older people in Victoria want less road congestion to make it easier to get about. Those under 70 want more and better public transport.

You want to ensure there is enough industrial and commercial land available in your local area, to help have more jobs closer to where you live. You strongly supported mixed-use developments, combining commercial, residential and recreational land uses.

You said that community connection is essential for everyone, especially young people. Local services, affordable community facilities, events and activities encourage social connections.

You told us you want greener suburbs with more tree canopy, open space and walking and bike paths. These all contribute to healthier, more sustainable communities.

You want more support for local businesses, but they must be well-located so you can access them easily.

School students across Victoria told us it’s important to have safe, friendly neighbourhoods with lots of open space, sporting facilities and activities for children and young people.

You told us public spaces must be inclusive, safe and environmentally friendly. You suggested having design standards for new public spaces, including universal design (to make all buildings accessible), environmentally sustainable design and gender-inclusive design.

You said that more accessible public transport and more active transport options (like connected bike paths and better links to stations) will make your area more sustainable and inclusive.

You told us you want the environment protected and sustainable principles applied to planning and building, including making new homes more sustainable with solar panels, heat pumps, cooling systems and clean, renewable energy. One suggestion was for residential planning to consider environmental impact during design and development.

Overall, you supported renewable energy, but regional and rural communities were concerned about the impact of renewables on the environment and agricultural productivity in their areas.

You want greater protection of Country, agricultural land, lakes, beaches and natural resources. With housing density increasing, you said it’s important to consider environmental hazards (such as flood and bushfire risks) when building new homes.

Having more effective recycling programs was one of the main ways you said you can contribute to a more sustainable environment.