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Fishermans Bend Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Fishermans Bend is Australia’s largest urban renewal precinct covering approximately 480 hectares in the heart of Melbourne. With an area twice the size of the CBD, Fishermans Bend consists of five precincts across two municipalities – the City of Melbourne and the City of Port Phillip – and will connect Melbourne’s CBD to the bay.

It is expected that by 2050, Fishermans Bend will be home to approximately 80,000 residents and provide employment for up to 80,000 people.

The Fishermans Bend Taskforce was established in January 2016 to lead the planning of the area. It comprises members from the Department of Transport and Planning.

The Taskforce works with the community, landowners, stakeholders and is currently completing the planning and beginning the delivery phase that will transform Fishermans Bend into a connected, liveable, prosperous, inclusive and sustainable place.

The Taskforce has developed and delivered a number of milestones on the journey to transform Fishermans Bend.

Click here to read an overview of the Framework.

The Fishermans Bend Development Board was established in August 2018 to guide the planning and development of this landmark project for Melbourne. The Board guided engagement with the community, advised on precinct plans and major decisions for Fishermans Bend, supported the growth of healthy, thriving neighbourhoods while creating new jobs.

The Board was chaired by Meredith Sussex AM – an expert on city planning and the chair of the former Fishermans Bend Ministerial Advisory Committee.

She was joined by experts in planning, industry, finance and transport:

Produced in 2016 through extensive consultation, the Fishermans Bend Vision established a clear direction and benchmarks for future planning work and delivery, with a focus on environmental sustainability, liveability, connectivity, diversity and innovation.

Fishermans Bend Taskforce is currently completing the planning and beginning the delivery of services and infrastructure for Fishermans Bend. The final Framework and planning controls have recently been released and the Taskforce is working on precinct planning and an infrastructure funding plan. The Framework and planning controls (GC81) have been implemented in the planning schemes of the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne.

The Framework will guide the transformation of Fishermans Bend, including the strategies for transport infrastructure, community infrastructure, public space, density, cultural historic heritage, activity centres and sustainability.

Released in October 2018, the Framework is a long-term strategic plan for the development of Fishermans Bend to 2050. It will guide investment and development by the Victorian Government, local governments and the private sector.

The Framework builds on the previously released Fishermans Bend Vision and has been prepared with input from the community, industry, key stakeholders and local councils.

It will guide the transition of Fishermans Bend into a connected, liveable, prosperous, inclusive, healthy and environmentally sustainable place.

The Framework provides direction on how the transition of the area will be managed, creating certainty for the community, landowners, developers, businesses and investors.

The Framework was developed by the Fishermans Bend Taskforce. Feedback from public, landowners and industry engagement activities and submissions together with recommendations from an independent panel, have informed and shaped the Framework and the planning controls.

The Framework provides direction on the future development of Fishermans Bend. Key initiatives in the plans for Fisherman Bend include:

A suite of planning controls have been prepared to realise the objectives and strategies in the Framework. The planning controls sit within the Port Phillip and Melbourne Planning Schemes.

Key elements of the planning controls include:

Since 2014, the Victorian Government has commenced delivery on a number of public infrastructure and development projects within Fishermans Bend.

These include:

The public (including landowners) were given every opportunity to participate in consultation activities based on the draft framework over the exhibition period. In addition to the public briefing sessions undertaken with Planning Panels Victoria and the 250 submissions considered there were 27 face to face events with over 1200 participants and digital promotions with a reach of more than 550,000.

Read our engagement report here:

02_Volume_2_Community_Engagement_Report PDF 17.82 MB (opens in a new window)

An independent Ministerial Advisory Committee was announced on 21 July 2015 to advise the Minister for Planning on Fishermans Bend. The Committee concluded its work towards the project in early 2018.

Public administration leader Meredith Sussex was the chair of the committee, which also included the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip Mayor Bernadene Voss and a panel of leading experts and community representatives:

Our Documents page contains reports from the Ministerial Advisory Committee.

The Fishermans Bend Gateway Hub was a place that connected and built the local community, celebrated the precinct’s proud legacy of innovation and manufacturing, and inspired creativity and collaboration in shaping the future of Fishermans Bend during 2022.

The Gateway Hub was located at Shed 21, 206 Lorimer Street (under the Bolte Bridge).

Made possible by the Victorian Government working in partnership with the City of Melbourne, the Gateway Hub helped bring events and programs to life including:

FAQ - Preferred rail route

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In 2018, the Victorian Government released the Fishermans Bend Framework which identified two indicative potential heavy rail alignments through Fishermans Bend connecting the CBD to Melbourne’s West. Government has now determined a preferred heavy rail route that considers the future network need, existing technical constraints and live development proposals, where possible. Government’s preferred route is generally in line with the Framework’s northern rail alignment option but has been refined based on further technical assessment.

The planning of the future rail route is a complex engineering task that requires consideration of soil conditions, tunnel design, construction methodology and land use opportunities and constraints. The refinement of the preferred route maximises certainty for delivery to the extent possible and importantly ensures that land use change can be planned around the rail corridor.

There will be no immediate impact to residents or existing businesses, unless development or redevelopment of their land within the future rail corridor is proposed. Government has further refined the preferred rail route through Fishermans Bend and Docklands to ensure greater confidence and understanding of the route and station locations.

As Victoria continues to grow it is important to plan for a second cross city rail tunnel, in addition to the Metro Tunnel, to unlock rail network capacity in growing parts of the State to the west and north-east. This future connection will help take pressure off our public transport network, boosting liveability and connectivity for all Victorians.

No land is proposed to be reserved for acquisition and there is no impact proposed on existing buildings at this time.

The future planning controls will not be retrospectively applied meaning that existing approved developments can proceed as planned while they remain live approvals.

Updated 25 September 2025

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