Burns Road Industrial Estate
The Burns Road Industrial Estate is located between the State Baseball Softball Centre, Harcourt Road and Merton Street in Altona. It has 505 lots owned by multiple property owners. The estate was subdivided in the 1920s. No roads, drains or other services have ever physically been created. See Figure 1 below.
Figure 1. Burns Road Industrial Estate aerial view February 2024
Development Constraints
The estate has remained undeveloped for almost 100 years due to a range of complex issues, including lot size and configuration, native vegetation, and the complexities of the multiple ownerships. Achieving a realistic planning outcome for the estate is not straightforward. There are many issues facing owners and the overall estate that require resolution.
Even though the subdivision pattern is reflective of a residential development, residential use of the estate will not be permitted in the future. The estate is located in an area identified in the Hobsons Bay Industrial Land Management Strategy 2008 as core industrial. Core Industrial Areas are relatively unconstrained by residential or other sensitive uses and are designated to protect and provide opportunities for new growth and expansion of existing industries.
Rezoning that allows non-industrial protrusions into these areas will not be supported as it will have a negative effect on surrounding industry such as the petrochemical complex. Protecting this industrial area is also supported by the Victorian Government’s metropolitan planning strategy Plan Melbourne which identifies the estate as part of a state significant industrial precinct.
The purpose of the precinct is to ensure there is sufficient strategically located land available for major industrial development linked to the principal freight network and transport gateways. The precinct will be protected from inappropriate development to allow continual growth in freight, logistics and manufacturing investment.
Native Vegetation
The Burns Road Industrial Estate supports nationally significant native grassland. These native grasslands are listed as endangered under state legislation and critically endangered under federal legislation.
The removal of native vegetation is administered at both a state and federal level; federally by the Department of Environment (DoE) and in Victoria by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). Click on the Burns Road Estate FAQ’s below for further information.
The way forward
Landowner agreement and cooperation is critical to resolving issues affecting the estate. Achieving agreement is one of the biggest impediments to the development of the land. Council recognises the value of working collaboratively with landowners to steer a positive way forward.