December 2025
Today marks a notable victory for Victoria’s waterways and those who have fought to protect them. The Victorian Government has officially gazetted Amendment VC278 on the 23rd December 2025, establishing permanent planning controls to safeguard 17 urban creeks and rivers across metropolitan Melbourne. It has also strengthened and made permanent the interim planning controls for the Rivers of the Barwon and Rivers of the West. These new measures will come into effect on the 20th January 2026, hopefully locking in strong, statewide protections for the unique landscape, cultural, and ecological values of our waterways.
The gazzetal and associated documents can be found here: https://planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au/All%20schemes/amendments/VC278?schemeCode=alpi
For the Alliance and its member groups, this represents the culmination of many years of sustained advocacy to ensure rivers and creeks are recognised not as residual land or drainage corridors, but as essential living systems within Victoria’s planning framework.
What VC278 Delivers
Amendment VC278 strengthens statewide waterway protection through three core mechanisms:
- Updated State Planning Policy
Clauses 12 and 14 of the Planning Policy Framework have been revised to ensure a consistent, statewide approach to protecting waterways, reinforcing their environmental, cultural and landscape significance. - Permanent Significant Landscape Overlays (SLOs)
New and updated SLOs now apply to 17 waterways, covering land generally within 50–200 metres of the top of bank on both public and private land. These overlays introduce clear permit requirements for buildings and works near waterways, ensuring development respects riparian buffers, landscape character and ecological function. The waterways now protected under these permanent controls include: Cherry Creek; Deep Creek; Darebin Creek; Edgars Creek; Emu Creek; Gardiners Creek (Kooyongkoot); Jacksons Creek (Biik Wurdha); Koonung Creek (Koonung Koonung); Kororoit Creek; Maribyrnong River; Merri Creek (Merri Merri); Moonee Ponds Creek; Plenty River (Kurrum); Skeleton Creek; Steele Creek; Stony Creek; and Werribee River (Wirribi Yaluk). - Interim Controls Strengthened and Made Permanent
Amendment VC278 makes permanent the interim SLOs that were introduced in recent years for the Waterways of the West and Rivers of the Barwon regions. This means the previously temporary overlays along the Maribyrnong River, Moonee Ponds Creek and Werribee River (urban west), and the Barwon, Leigh, Moorabool and Yarrowee Rivers (Geelong/Barwon region) are now enduring fixtures of the planning schemes. Those interim controls were set to expire in 2026 and now have now been strengthened and locked in, ensuring these iconic rivers continue to be protected beyond the original timeframe. Areas of improvement include increasing minimum buffer distances from waterways for new developments from 30 to 50 metres and a direct inclusion of rivers as living entities.
'Recognising that waterways are a connected system from source to mouth, including tributaries,confluences, wetlands and billabongs creating a living entity.'
Together, these measures attempt provide certainty, consistency and enforceability, addressing long-standing gaps and inconsistencies between councils and across municipal boundaries.
Looking Ahead
Moving forward, the focus will turn to implementation of these new controls. The Department of Transport and Planning has released two new Planning Practice Notes (PPN97 and PPN98) to guide councils, developers and communities in understanding the details of the waterway protections and how permit applications will be assessed under the SLOs. The Alliance and its member groups will be studying these guidelines closely and continuing to engage with authorities to ensure the intent of the controls is fully realized on the ground where it matters.
For now, however, we congratulate everyone involved in this significant step. The permanent planning controls in VC278 demonstrate what’s possible when community passion, Traditional Owner knowledge, and government commitment come together for the environment. Our Alliance extends its thanks to the planners, DEECA and Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) staff, ministers, and advisors who listened to the community’s call and above all, to the many community groups, volunteers and advocates whose persistent campaigning have kept waterways on the agenda.
Update: The Age Newspaper has reported on the story and secured comment from a number of Concerned Waterways Alliance groups. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/erecting-a-fence-in-these-areas-is-about-to-become-harder-but-locals-are-cheering-20260101-p5nr2q.html