A TDF is a design document that identifies projects that can be delivered over the next 10-20 years based on the community's hopes for the future and addressing areas of concern and need. It seeks to understand the relationships between features like open spaces and facilities, and how they should look and be arranged.

It includes where transport, car parks, commercial buildings, and recreational facilities should be located.

A TDF demonstrates how all these features can work together to preserve the local character and create town centres where community and local businesses thrive and everyone enjoys attractive places to live, visit and work.

Belgrave is undergoing change and pressure arising from increased interest from metropolitan and international visitors and the changing needs of new and long-time local residents.

Belgrave has been identified as the next focus for Council to explore ways to manage these different issues and make sure that projects are delivered in a coordinated way.

TDFs provide guidelines, standards and plans to help with Council decision-making. Councils prepare TDFs to help them think creatively and strategically about towns and how people use them.

This makes sure new buildings, parks, pedestrian and bike paths, public areas, and businesses are developed in line with set standards for safety, sustainability, accessibility, environmentally friendly infrastructure, and overall quality of life.

Ultimately, Council will use the TDF to ensure that new developments fit into the existing environment without negatively impacting livability.

Council have recently developed a Township Design Framework model that is more suited to activity centres outside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). While it will use similar themes to a UDF, the TDF enables a stronger local character focus which many Yarra Ranges communities value more, making it more appropriate for Belgrave. Despite its location within the UGB, historical community feedback has indicated its character more closely resembles towns outside the boundary.

In the last two years, Council has adopted both the Warburton Urban Design Framework (UDF) and Monbulk UDF. Council is currently drafting a Healesville TDF after local community consultation was undertaken earlier this year.

There will be several opportunities to have your say on the TDF and subsequent projects. You can share your ideas at the start of the TDF and then give feedback again later when we have a Draft TDF ready for review.

Once adopted, the TDF will also identify several projects within each precinct. Many will involve further consultation as each project goes into more detail, technical expert input and approval from relevant authorities.

A council-adopted TDF can form the basis of updates to design controls in the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme. This would need a Planning Scheme Amendment. This includes notification to impacted landowners, a formal exhibition period, and sometimes consideration by an independent Planning Panel.

Any projects proposed by the TDF would be delivered on Government land such as streetscape, community facilities and open space projects.

The TDF does not propose specific projects on private land. However, it may provide the basis to investigate updated planning controls to improve development outcomes in the centre. Any changes to planning controls would require a separate Planning Scheme Amendment and its own public exhibition process.

We are at the very beginning of the project and during this stage, we hope to gather as much input from the community and stakeholders before any designs are started.

The team has been reviewing earlier historical planning documents such as the and Belgrave Town Centre Study (2010) (this document was not formally endorsed by Council). We have also considered the Council Plan 2020-2025 and other key engagements from the last few years that may have referenced Belgrave.

We have also looked at planning controls and hazards such as bushfires to assess any areas needing further attention. We also look at community comments on significant Planning Applications to help inform possible future Planning controls.

A cost estimate for the actions and concept designs proposed by the Draft Belgrave TDF will be listed at the end of the document.

No projects will have committed funding. However, having an adopted plan will give a strong basis for advocating for external funds and enable the Council to seek funding through its annual Capital Works Program.

The timing of some projects will require significant pre-planning, authority approvals, and documentation, and therefore may take several years to deliver.

Simpler projects can be scheduled once funds are available, such as improvements to the footpaths and easy-to-deliver streetscape improvements.

TDFs involve the preparation of realistic design concepts based on consultation, research, evidence and analysis. All physical projects proposed in a TDF are subject to the existing legislation, strategies and policies, at the time of their development.

Relevant Victorian Government Agencies, include but are not limited to: Country Fire Authority (CFA); Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA); Department of Transport and Planning (DTP); VicTrack; Heritage Victoria; Melbourne Water; Victoria Police and VicRoads. All agencies will be invited to provide feedback on the draft TDF.

A Design and Development Overlay (DDO) is a planning tool applied to areas such as shopping strips, key sites and other identified precincts. It outlines specific requirements to guide the built form and design of new development in those identified areas. DDOs generally try to achieve a balance between allowing new development and making sure they are sensitive towards heritage buildings, view corridors, existing homes and public spaces like footpaths and parks.

All DDOs still have to comply with other parts of the Yarra Ranges Planning Scheme.

A TDF includes ‘concept’ designs. These are indications of how the projects could potentially ‘look’ and are used as a starting point for idea generation and further discussion.

‘Concepts designs’ do not have the level of detail required for construction. They are indicative and subject to budgeting, further consultation, and detailed design.

A ‘detailed design’ is only produced when a project is ready to be progressed towards construction. A key part of developing a ‘detailed design’ is the opportunity for further stakeholder and community input.

You can have your say on your say on the Key Area Plan for the Puffing Billy Railway Belgrave Station Precinct. Closes 31 August 2025.

Puffing Billy Railway operates through the Puffing Billy Railway Board on land administered by the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. These are independent of Yarra Ranges Council and the site is not council land.

Puffing Billy Railway is planning on undertaking stakeholder engagement on the ‘Belgrave Puffing Billy Precinct’, a local master plan for a smaller area than the TDF. A limited area of land on which Puffing Billy Railway is situated is within the TDF boundary.

Council will be coordinating with Puffing Billy Railway Board about issues and opportunities arising from both sites and projects.

Yes the property at 2-14 Monbulk Road (Belgrave Motors Site) is located within the TDF boundary. The privately owned site’s strategic location is a key entry point to the town centre and a pivotal connection between Puffing Billy Railway and the town’s commercial centre.

Belgrave Motors Site is commercially zoned and has an existing Design and Development Overlay (DDO15). This provides design guidelines for future development applications. The built-form of any new development would in part be guided by height restrictions, ground floors with windows, doors and activity, as well as the protection of views to nearby landmarks, setback distances from the property boundary, pedestrian movement between Puffing Billy Railway’s station and the main street, and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design considerations.

Council will record and review feedback received during the engagement.

We will provide an engagement summary report, which will be made available with the draft TDF in 2026.