Project Update | March 2025

Since 2022, Frankston City Council has been working with our community to develop a 20 year plan that will guide Council's planning policy for the use and development of our municipality's industrial precincts. The implementation of the Strategy will reinforce Frankston City's role as a major industry focal point in the southern metropolitan region and ensure that the industrial precincts develop to their full potential.

Exhibition of Planning Scheme Amendment C148fran (A State Government legislated process) concluded on Monday 9 September 2024.

On 17 February 2025, Council resolved to refer all written submissions to Planning Scheme Amendment C148fran to Planning Panels Victoria, with the Directions Hearing to be occurring on Monday 17 March 2025.

To understand the steps in the planning scheme amendment process, visit Planning Panels Victoria's website.

Planning Scheme Amendment C148fran proposes to implement the land use and development directions and recommendations of the Frankston City Industrial Strategy (Charter Keck Cramer and Tract, 2024) and the Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines (Tract, 2024) into the Frankston Planning Scheme, and replaces the existing Frankston Industrial Strategy 2009. The amendment applies to all Industrial 1 Zone land in the municipality and some Commercial 2 zoned land in Precincts 3 and 6.

Specifically, the amendment proposes to make the following changes to the Frankston Planning Scheme:

  • Amend Clause 02.01 Context of the Municipal Planning Strategy to ensure consistency with the Frankston City Industrial Strategy.
  • Amend Clause 02.02 Vision of the Municipal Planning Strategy to ensure consistency with the Frankston City Council Plan 2017-2021.
  • Amend Clause 02.03 Strategic Directions of the Municipal Planning Strategy to give effect to and ensure consistency with the Frankston City Industrial Strategy and Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines.
  • Amend Clause 02.04 Strategic Framework Plans of the Municipal Planning Strategy to give effect to and ensure consistency with the Frankston City Industrial Strategy.
  • Insert a new Clause 17.03-1L Industrial Land Supply – Frankston City to Planning Policy Framework to give effect to and ensure consistency with the Frankston City Industrial Strategy and Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines.
  • Insert Schedule 15 to Clause 43.02 Design and Development Overlay (DDO15) to implement the built form requirements of the Design Guidelines to ensure the developments are consistent with the requirements being introduced.
  • Insert a new Schedule to Clause 59.15 Local VicSmart Applications to help renew aged Precinct 1: Seaford and Precinct 2: Seaford North by increasing building cost threshold to $3 million and adding the Schedule 15 to Clause 43.02 Design and Development Overlay (DDO15) built form requirements.
  • Insert a new Schedule to Clause 59.16 Information Requirements and Decision Guidelines for Local VicSmart Applications to list for information required for the VicSmart Applications if planning permit applicants should meet if they choose the VicSmart process.
  • Amend Clause 72.08 Background Documents to update the reference to the Frankston City Industrial Strategy and Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines.
  • Amend Clause 74.02 Further Strategic Work to remove reference to completing a new Industrial Strategy and include further strategic work relating to a potential future municipal wide Development Contributions Plan (DCP).

People wishing to view a copy of the amendment can do so at the following locations:

  1. the Frankston City Council website at Current amendments - Frankston City Council; and/or
  2. during office hours, at Council’s office (A hard copy is located on the front counter in Customer Service).
  3. at the Department of Transport and Planning website www.planning.vic.gov.au/planning-schemes/amendments/amendments-on-exhibition or by contacting 1800 789 386 to arrange a time to view the amendment documentation.

What is an Industrial Strategy?

The Frankston City Industrial Strategy is a long term 20-year plan that will guide Council's planning policy for the use and development of our municipality's industrial precincts. This Strategy will reinforce Frankston City's role as a major industry focal point in the southern metropolitan region and ensure that the industrial precincts develop to their full potential.

What is happening?

On 18 March 2024, Council adopted the Frankston City Industrial Strategy and Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines and request authorisation from the Minister for Planning to undertake Planning Scheme Amendment C148fran.

This planning scheme amendment will seek to implement the Industrial Strategy and Design Guidelines into the Frankston Planning Scheme. The Industrial Strategy, which you helped us shape, will guide the ongoing revitalisation of our Industrial Precincts including:

  • A thriving Kananook Industrial Sub Precinct (Sub-Precinct 1A) that will leverage broader employment opportunities created from the renewal and expansion of the Frankston Stadium. Encourage sports, leisure and hospitality uses along Easton Avenue, while maintaining primary industrial uses.
  • A prominent Hartnett Boulevard that forms an active spine for Precinct 1: Seaford. The proposed upgrades will seek to increase pedestrian footpath space on both sides of the road, increase canopy tree planning and provide bicycle lanes in each direction.
  • Key industrial street upgrades providing increase landscaping, high quality paving, and additional space for people to gather.

The Industrial Strategy provides a framework that will create certainty for future redevelopment, provide opportunities for more people to work in the Industrial Precincts, and in turn revitalise our local economy with the increase in employees and general foot traffic and passing trade for our existing and prospective industrial businesses.

Frankston City Industrial Strategy 2024

Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines 2024

Your Questions Answered

A strategy is a long-term plan for an area to guide Council decisions about future use and development on both private and public property.

The strategy will be designed to implement key policies and objectives for Frankston City's Industrial Precincts in State and Local Planning Policy. It also guides the assessment of planning permit applications and amendments to the Frankston City Planning Scheme.

The Frankston City Industrial Precincts are a leading source of local and regional employment, private investment and economic activity. They are thriving in terms of employment growth, land use demand and investment and are well positioned to harness the benefits of a changing economy.

The key aim for developing a local industrial strategy is to plan for and develop a shared vision for Council’s industrial precincts, and to identify the type and scope of change projected and anticipated over time.

The Strategy should be a tool to help manage, influence, and where appropriate, facilitate change within identified industrial precincts, in accordance with the directions of state planning policy.

Frankston City's Industrial Precincts are areas within Council that are zoned Industrial 1 Zone. These are located: Carrum Downs, Seaford North, Seaford, Frankston East and Langwarrin. These are shown on the map.

The economic function and role of each of the Frankston City's Industrial Precinct differs in focus, format and breadth of uses. In the municipality’s north east, the convergence of EastLink and the Peninsula Link Freeway has fostered the growth of a regionally significant specialised manufacturing and supplies sector, while closer to the coast, industrial precincts are nestled in amongst residential areas for whom they increasingly provide a range of hospitality, household and automotive services.

Council has prepared the Frankston City Industrial Strategy (March 2024) and the Frankston City Industrial Design Guidelines (March 2024) (the Industrial Strategy and the Design Guidelines) following a review of the Frankston Industrial Strategy 2009 (the 2009 Strategy) in 2019. The review of the 2009 Strategy identified the need to revise and update the direction for industrial land in the municipality, based on minimal vacant industrial land and changing trends in industrial activity.

The amendment is required to provide statutory weight to both the Industrial Strategy and the Design Guidelines within the Frankston Planning Scheme. This amendment will guide future use and development planning permit applications within the industrial precincts, ensuring that there is a clear planning framework in place that reflects the vision and strategic intent set by both documents.