Residents of a leafy Melbourne street are getting a glimpse of what the future could hold for their neighbourhood, and it's a dramatic departure from the low-rise streetscape they know.
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they → get → streetscape
In Armadale, in the Liberal-held electorate of Malvern, plans have been lodged with council for a six-storey development on Mercer Road, about 900 metres away from the train station.
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plans → hold → station
The developer intends to demolish five single-storey units and build a six-storey block of apartments.
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developer → intend → apartments
Dave Corrigan lives in an apartment across the road and described the plan as outrageous.
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Corrigan → live → plan
[It's] enough to almost make me consider moving, to be honest," he told 7.30.
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he → make → 7.30
"I could probably understand on a main road and High Street … but in the middle of Mercer Road, that's just ridiculous."
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that → understand → Road
Under Labor's new "deemed to comply" planning rules, Mr Corrigan's objections carry limited weight and his right to appeal has been stripped away.
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right → deem → weight
"Deemed to comply" means that if a development meets a series of standards set out by the government, it can be approved without the usual scope for objections or appeals.
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it → deem → objections
The rules took effect in April, with Labor arguing it would reduce red tape, speed up housing approvals and give developers greater certainty.
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it → take → certainty
With the state election approaching, Labor's high-rise housing plans are becoming a political test: as residents push back against towers in their neighbourhoods and the Coalition pledges to scrap the activity centres and return planning powers to councils.
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Coalition → approach → councils
Labor's plan to build up
Under the Victorian Labor government's activity centres plan, designated areas around major train and tram routes are being opened to more intensive housing development, including buildings of up to 20 storeys or higher in some locations.
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areas → build → locations
Armadale, in the City of Stonnington, is among 60 designated activity centres.
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Armadale → designate → centres
Labor says Victoria needs an estimated 2.24 million additional homes by 2051, with at least 70 per cent targeted for established areas.
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cent → say → areas
The federal government has targeted building 1.2 million new homes nationally by 2030.
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government → target → 2030
State Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny says the existing planning system failed to provide enough housing in areas where people want to live.
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people → say → areas
"We've acted to say that the status quo is no longer an option," Ms Kilkenny told 7.30.
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Kilkenny → act → 7.30
"We cannot continue to have a planning system that continues to lock out Victorians from living in places where they want to live."
The policy has drawn fierce opposition from residents and councils who argue the changes will alter the character of established suburbs, while limiting their ability to influence what gets built.
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what → continue → ability
Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr said residents often assumed taller buildings would be concentrated around railway stations and major roads, but that was no longer the case and that councils have been stripped of meaningful influence over decisions that would fundamentally change their communities.
"Council's involvement is minimal because if they tick the government's planning boxes now, residents have no right to object, they have no appeal rights and council has very limited ability to make changes to those proposed developments," Mayor Sehr said.
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Sehr → say → developments
East of Melbourne's CBD, Box Hill offers an example of what a shift towards high-density housing could look like.
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shift → offer → housing
Danny Todica lives there with his partner in a two-bedroom apartment in a 30-storey tower.
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Todica → live → tower
The 52-year-old said the convenience of apartment living is hard to beat.
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convenience → say → living
"We have the highway just there, we have the shopping centre just around the corner here, so it's in walking distance of everything and the tram stop is just out there," Mr Todica said.
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Todica → have → everything
People still need to live somewhere.
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People → need → ?
What you can do is give people opportunity to live in a great spot."
Phil Ward has lived in Box Hill for 47 years.
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Ward → give → years
He once campaigned against high-rise development but in 2016 bought an apartment in the 36-storey Sky One tower he had opposed.
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he → campaign → tower
"If you can't beat them, join them," he said.
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he → beat → them
Mr Ward enjoys the convenience of being able to reach shops and public transport within minutes, but he said the transformation had come at a cost.
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transformation → enjoy → cost
He said traffic congestion was now a major concern, while green space was increasingly under pressure from development.
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space → say → development
"It only takes a little glitch and all of a sudden gridlock," Mr Ward said.
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Ward → take → gridlock
Box Hill is a major transport hub with the busy Whitehorse Road cutting through the centre, linking to the Maroondah Highway and the eastern suburbs.
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Road → cut → Highway
But its congestion problem extends beyond one busy road.
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problem → extend → road
A 2025 government report found several major roads in the suburb were nearing capacity.
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roads → find → capacity
Now, construction work for Labor's multi-billion-dollar Suburban Rail Loop is bringing lane closures and pedestrian detours to the busy centre.
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work → bring → centre
Box Hill illustrates the challenge facing governments trying to accommodate a growing population and how to provide more homes while maintaining liveability and updating infrastructure.
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Hill → illustrate → infrastructure
Ms Kilkenny said new developments in activity centres would attract infrastructure contributions to help fund parks, schools, road upgrades and community facilities as populations grow.
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populations → say → parks
Who gets the final say?
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Who → get → say
For residents and councils opposed to Labor's plan, the issue is not simply how tall new buildings should be.
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buildings → oppose → plan
It is whether local communities still have a meaningful say in what happens around them.
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what → have → them
Ms Kilkenny rejected the suggestion that councils had lost their influence.
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councils → reject → influence
"Our deemed to comply planning applications will mean that if the development meets those various standards, there is no capacity to object to that and they will be approved," she said.
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she → deem → that
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia