Shared vision for connected communities drives Developer Forum
Published on 04 May 2026
The City of Whittlesea has strengthened its partnership with industry through hosting a recent Developer Forum.
The forum brought together developers, landowners and key stakeholders to align on how to deliver a connected, liveable and sustainable city, with diverse housing and neighbourhoods, and a thriving economy.
The forum also focused on the shared responsibility of Council, the Victorian Government and industry to meet the expectations of a rapidly growing community - including provision of affordable homes, high-quality parks and places, community facilities and connecting roads, streets and active travel options.
The City of Whittlesea continues to experience significant growth in its established and growth areas. This growth brings both opportunity and responsibility to ensure development is well-coordinated and well-designed, infrastructure is delivered in a timely way, and communities are supported from the outset.
Developers enjoyed presentations on some of the significant work underway, including advocacy priorities, capital works delivery, open space planning, fire prevention and emergency management.
Information on Council programs, such as sustainable development, good design and heritage protection, is being shared to guide industry and provide clarity for future projects.
The City of Whittlesea also highlighted its work to support a thriving local economy, including a draft Economic Growth Strategy that will soon be presented to Council for community consultation.
The key objectives of the forum included:
- recognising the importance of protecting and celebrating the City’s unique heritage and landscape
- articulating Council’s commitment to sustainable development, good design and long-term environmental outcomes
- continuing support for economic growth, local jobs and investment across the municipality
- improving the visibility of the capital works pipeline of Council to align with investment by industry
- achieving stronger alignment on advocacy priorities to support the timely delivery of critical infrastructure, including key road upgrades, improved bus services, the Wollert Rail project, the Outer Metropolitan Ring (OMR)/E6 Freeway, and better mobile and broadband coverage.
- ·opportunities to bring forward open space and community infrastructure to support liveability of new neighbourhoods from the outset
- improving collaboration on bushfire risk management and community safety.
The forum reinforced the importance of delivering communities that go beyond housing - supporting access to jobs, services, social infrastructure and diverse housing options, including affordable housing.
Workshops throughout the day focused on advocacy, community housing partnerships, the Planning Scheme review and economic growth, providing an opportunity for deeper collaboration and shared problem-solving.
The City of Whittlesea thanks all participants for their contribution and looks forward to continuing to work in partnership to deliver well-connected, thriving communities for current and future residents.
Quotes attributed to the City of Whittlesea CEO, Craig Lloyd:
“Our community has clear expectations for well-connected, liveable neighbourhoods. By working closely with developers and industry, we can better align infrastructure with growth and deliver places where people and families can thrive.
“The Developer Forum reinforced the importance of working together to deliver connected communities, where infrastructure, housing and services are aligned from the outset. By strengthening our partnerships with industry, we can better respond to growth and deliver the outcomes our community expects.”