Ivanhoe

In October 2016, Development Victoria engaged with stakeholders and the community to understand their aspirations and concerns regarding development of the site.

Key themes included:

• Traffic, parking and access
• Overshadowing and overlooking
• Height and density
• Loss of trees and habitat on-site
• Need for open space
• Cumulative impacts of development in the area

The community also felt the development should aspire to:

• Reflect the area’s rich history and heritage
• Consider amenity within the development
• Provide meeting spaces and landscaped design
• Improve connectivity and accessibility with surrounding areas
• Create a sustainable community outcome

Phase 2 of community engagement was held in March 2017 with two information sessions, for discussion of the draft master plan.

The draft master plan represents an initial response to community engagement and will continue to be developed to reflect community input and technical advice.

Following community engagement in 2016 and 2017, and rezoning in 2018, Development Victoria purchased the site from Yarra Valley Water and is now working on a draft Development Plan for the residential development.

Approximately 2,000 square metres of the site has been set aside for a new Council Park. 

With the existing playground nearing the end of its life, a unique opportunity exists to design a new park which meets the community’s needs and provides ease of access and connectivity.

Development Victoria will work with Council, Traditional Owners and the community to bring the new Council park to life.

In 18 July- 7 August 2023, Council ran community engagement on the new park. The feedback gathered helped us develop a concept plan for the new park. For details on the engagement process, and to view the concept designs, visit: https://shaping.banyule.vic.gov.au/IvanhoeWaterTank

From 8 April to 10 May 2024, we exhibited the draft Development Plan for the residential development and the Concept Designs for the Council park.

We held two information sessions to provide the community with more information about our plans and give them the opportunity to ask questions of the project team.

We created a summary of the Development Plan and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which you can view and download in our Resources section (see tab above).

The full Development Plan and Council Park designs have been submitted to Banyule Council for consideration.

To view the full Development Plan and find out more about what happened during the exhibition period visit Shaping Banyule.

Development Victoria has purchased the site from Yarra Valley Water with plans to rejuvenate it by demolishing the existing tank and associated services and in its place, deliver new housing options and a new Council park for the community.

This site is appropriately located for residential living; close to public transport, retail, health, and community services located in Heidelberg. It is also near La Trobe University and primary and secondary schools.

Yarra Valley Water no longer has a need for the land or the water tank and in accordance with government policy, the land has been rezoned to allow for residential development to increase housing supply and affordability in this prime location– close to jobs, transport, and services.

The site at 421 Upper Heidelberg Road Ivanhoe was previously zoned as a Services & Utility area. Following community engagement in 2016 and 2017, a rezoning application was submitted and approved by the Minister for Planning in 2018. As a result, it was rezoned to a Residential Growth Zone, to enable future housing on this site. A Development Plan Overlay Schedule 7 (DPO7) was also put in place, applying an additional layer of standards for any development at this site.

We are currently in the Development Plan phase of the project. After the Development Plan has been approved by Banyule Council, a final design will be created in line with this plan, and this will be submitted to Council as part of the planning permit process. Construction on site will only commence once we have been issued a Planning Permit by Council.

Tank demolition works commenced in July 2024 and were finished by October 2024. For more information about this, please refer to the Tank Demolition FAQs.

Development Victoria undertook two phases of community and stakeholder engagement in 2016 and 2017 to understand community concerns and aspirations. The key themes from this consultation influenced the current design.

In July and August 2023, Council sought community feedback on what the Council park should include via an online survey and in-person engagement sessions at the site. Based on this feedback, we have developed a draft concept for the Council park to be shared with the community for feedback before finalising.

The key themes received from the community included impacts such as overlooking, height, density and increased population causing traffic and parking issues. There was overwhelming support for improved public open space.

We have used this feedback to inform our designs for the site, as detailed in the Development Plan Summary which can be found under the Resources tab on this page.

Responding to community feedback, the tiered architectural design of the building will fit seamlessly into the local neighbourhood and minimise the disruption of sunlight to surrounding dwellings.

The Development Plan Overlay allows for up to 12 levels of housing however the exact height of the development is not yet confirmed. We are currently planning to build approximately 275 apartments.

In our traffic management plans within the Development Plan, we have proposed to provide vehicle access via Upper Heidelberg Road, to reduce the traffic impact on local streets.

The Development Plan proposed that all resident parking is located within the building.

Yes – we are planning to replace the existing playground with a much larger, new Council Park. This will sit next to the development, with extra landscaping and meeting spaces between the new building and the park to seamlessly link the two together.

For more details on the Council park and to share your thoughts, visit Shaping Banyule.

Sustainability is a key focus for the design, including targeting a 5-Star Green Star Community rating which outlines minimum standards for sustainable design.  It will encompass key sustainability principles and strategies with a focus on integrated water management, energy efficiency and waste minimisation.

A minimum 10% of homes across the site will be offered to those eligible for affordable housing giving more Victorians the opportunity to enter the housing market.

We will deliver a mix of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom homes on the site to suit a range of budgets, lifestyles and needs. 

In October 2024,Development Victoria completed works to safely demolish the existing tank and all associated services.

The demolition of the tank commenced in July 2024 and was completed by late October 2024.

This site has been rezoned to allow for residential development to meet the growing need for quality housing supply in Ivanhoe.  The tank needed to be demolished to make way for the future approved development.

Now that the site has been safely cleared, fencing will remain in place until construction of the approved residential development and new Council park commences. The park and payground adjacent to the site will also remain open until construction of the new Council park commences.