New planning rules to protect Melbourne's green wedges and farmland
Statewide changes taking effect in November aim to limit the loss of rural land and reduce conflicts between new homes and established farms.
New statewide planning rules aimed at protecting Melbourne's green wedges and Victoria's farmland from inappropriate development will come into effect in November, according to the Victorian Government.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny announced the changes on Thursday 22 October.
What the reforms do
According to the Victorian Government release, the reforms will:
- strengthen green wedge and agricultural state planning policy
- reduce the loss or fragmentation of rural land
- support appropriate farm produce sales
- minimise land use conflicts between sensitive developments, such as homes, and established farms
- protect Victoria's food supply in planning decisions.
The release says statewide planning controls will also protect the urban growth boundary and support long-term planning for Victoria's growing population.
Why the change
The government says the changes respond to recommendations from the Green Wedge and Agricultural Land Action Plan 2024 and the Inquiry into Securing the Victorian Food Supply.
According to the release, that work found land use conflicts were making it harder and more expensive to grow food close to cities. The government says the new rules will give a consistent approach to protecting green wedges and farms from inappropriate development.
Minister for Agriculture Michaela Settle said the government was "protecting farms that are critical to the future of Victoria's agriculture sector".
Sources: Victorian Government media release, “Protecting Our Green Wedges And Agricultural Land”, 22 October 2026 Adapted from “Protecting Our Green Wedges And Agricultural Land”, Victorian Government media release, 22 October 2026. © Copyright State Government of Victoria, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence; this version has been edited and shortened, and party-political content removed. Illustrations: The Dosage.