The Victorian Government has released a draft plan for a new suburb to be developed in Melbourne's inner north over the next three decades.
The new 56-hectare Arden precinct, in north Melbourne, is expected to house up to 15,000 people and be home to 34,000 jobs.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the precinct would be based around the Arden rail station, an underground station planned as part of the Metro Rail tunnel project.
He said the Metro Rail project represented a unique opportunity to redevelop the precinct.
"No other state government has got a parcel of land held in public ownership on the doorstep of the city that's got such opportunities for development with a major urban transport link underneath it," Mr Wynne said.
"This is a unique opportunity and one that we are going to seize."
An artist's impression of new suburb Arden Source: Victorian Planning Authority
Planning Minister rules out 'very, very high' skyscrapers
Mr Wynne said there would be a mix of housing in the precinct, but it would not be dominated by skyscraper towers.
"It is important that we get densities around [what] a major transport hub like the Arden precinct is going to be," he said.
"We haven't pre-determined [height limits]. Heights somewhere between 12 to 15 storeys is what's been envisaged by the city and ourselves.
"We're not looking at very, very high skyscrapers, no."
Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said the release of the draft plan was timed to coincide with works on the Metro Rail tunnel.
"It comes at the same time that we're moving rapidly towards the major construction phase for the Metro Rail tunnel project," she said.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said the draft plan was important to make sure the Government and council did not repeat the mistakes of the past in other urban renewal projects.
"We're now having to retrofit community infrastructure into Docklands," he said.
"Southbank is now our dense suburb, but again it wasn't created as a residential suburb [and we] have to do work around City Road to make that more residential-friendly and provide more open space in Southbank.
