Council is undertaking a review of the Whitehorse Housing Strategy 2014. An action in the Integrated Council Plan 2025-2029, the review is to ensure currency and alignment with Plan for Victoria, the State Government’s state planning strategy.

The Whitehorse Housing Strategy is a 20-year plan which has been implemented into the Whitehorse Planning Scheme, however due to recent significant state planning reforms, the strategy now needs to be reviewed.

The State Government has set housing targets for each Council as part of its contribution to deliver 2.24 million homes over the next 30 years. Whitehorse’s housing target is 76,500 additional dwellings by 2051, which is more than a doubling of existing housing stock in the municipality in 2023.

Other significant state government planning reforms and initiatives arising from Victoria’s Housing Statement: The Decade Ahead 2024-2034 include:

• Reform of the residential development provisions in planning schemes
• State government-led precinct planning for Suburban Rail Loop precincts and Train and Tram Zone Activity Centres (Blackburn, Nunawading, and Mitcham in Whitehorse)
• Greater intervention in housing related planning application assessments and decisions by State Government
  Amendments to the Planning and Environment Act 1987, and
• Reform of development contribution scheme.

Relevant municipal-wide Council-led strategic projects to be integrated with the new housing strategy include the Whitehorse Integrated Transport Strategy (currently underway) and Whitehorse Open Space Strategy (WOSS) implementation, for example.

Housing Strategy Review Process

The Housing Strategy review is to be undertaken in three phases:

Phase 1: State of Play report	Completed in 2025
Phase 2: Updated Housing Strategy	2026/2027
Phase 3: Implementation (including a planning scheme amendment and action plan)	2027 onwards

To ensure the review is undertaken with due consideration to state planning policy, timing and staging of the project will align with the state government’s housing targets work and the requirement to review the planning scheme. The next planning scheme review is due to be completed, and a report provided to the Minister for Planning, by the end of October 2026.

Community and stakeholder consultation will be an integral part of the housing strategy review. Further information will be available on consultation opportunities during 2026.