Skip to main content
Changes to urban Geelong residential zones
Ut nihil eos deserunt nihil. Est aspernatur earum est tempora distinctio mollitia aspernatur. Temporibus architecto qui assumenda qui tenetur rem ut qui quasi ad. Qui atque molestiae doloribus maiores nam qui in. Harum dicta cumque tempore ut assumenda eveniet. Quisquam totam placeat ut et accusantium.
19/12/2022

Changes were made to residential zones in urban Geelong under amendment GC172 by the Minister for Planning in December 2020. 

These changes resulted in conflicts between the site coverage and garden area provisions in increased housing diversity areas.

Since March 2021 Council has been working to resolve these conflicts as part of amendment C426.

In October 2022 the Minister for Planning advised they wouldnt intervene and approve the changes requested under C426. 

The current zone regime will remain in place until the City has the opportunity to review its housing policies.


Timeline of events

March 2020

The Council considered a report by planning officers on options to deal with the residential height inconsistencies and resolved to:

  • Support the following zone and policy changes as described in Attachment 2 – Report to Implementing the new Residential Zones:
  • Back zoning of the General Residential Zone 2 areas in urban Geelong to Neighbourhood Residential Zone and include:
    • a 9-metre 2-storey maximum height limit and
    • maintain the existing additional open space and landscape requirements.
  • Back zoning the Residential Growth Zone 2 areas to a new General Residential Zone and include:
    • all other variations in existing zone schedules (open space site coverage front setbacks) will be transferred from the RGZ to deliver housing change and diversity in these areas and to differentiate from the other GRZ areas and
    • exempt the garden area requirement.
  • Write to the Minister for Planning with Council’s preferred option and to request that the changes are implemented via GC Ministerial amendment with other impacted Councils.

December 2020

Changes were made to the residential zones in urban Geelong under amendment GC172 by the Minister for Planning on 23 December 2020.

The approved amendment was generally in line with the March 2020 Council resolution except for exempting the garden requirement in the new GRZ for increased housing diversity areas. This has resulted in conflicting provisions relating to site coverage and garden area requirements. The amendment did not include any transitional arrangements. 


March 2021

Officers submitted amendment C426 on 5 March 2021 to address the garden area conflict by amending the zone provisions. The Mayor also wrote to the Minister for Planning requesting transitional arrangements be applied.

Since the submission of C426 in March 2021 it has remained under consideration by the State Government.


July 2022

In July 2022 the Mayor wrote to the Minister for Planning restating the case for and providing advice as to why the approval of C426 was necessary.


October 2022

On 10 October 2022 the Minister for Planning advised they declined to intervene in this matter.

As a result of this decision Amendment C426 is abandoned and the existing zone provisions remain in place.

Published On

19/12/2022