Creative and technology clusters in Victoria will be strengthened by a new planning zone and policy to support Enterprise Precincts.

Today the Minister for Planning Richard Wynne and Minister for Innovation and Digital Economy Philip Dalidakis launched the Victorian Government’s new policy Unlocking Enterprise in a Changing Economy. To support this policy a new zoning tool – the Commercial 3 Zone – has been developed to help planners implement Enterprise Precincts across Victoria. This zone is an enabling zone with a clear purpose to promote the diversity of enterprises that characterise the emerging economy and reduce the planning burden for business start-ups.

Reinforcing inner Melbourne’s Enterprise Precincts is estimated to add $900 million to the Victorian economy by 2036, creating extra jobs and improved productivity in the areas. We prepared a report for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to help inform this new policy and zoning tool.

Based on high level quantitative analysis, qualitative assessment and our team's extensive experience in urban economics, the report analyses a diverse set of 13 inner city enterprise precincts in Melbourne. These precincts range from popular inner city mixed-used neighbourhoods with the highest levels of amenity to emerging precincts and more traditional industrial areas.