Planners, designers, councils and even some developers say the planning tool, known as a floor area ratio control, creates certainty around density for developers and communities, leads to better-designed buildings and helps deliver new homes faster. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Thousands of apartments are being built without contributing to new public parks, as build-to-rent developers access a loophole that councils say has shortchanged them of millions of dollars. Mayors are demanding state reform to force BTR to pay the green space levy www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

West Footscray’s Sims IGA is one of few independent supermarkets in Melbourne to maintain close community ties. But a decision at the VCAT to permit a Woolworths right next-door may mean the end of the store — an outcome VCAT members determined would be acceptable. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

As Melbourne’s congestion grows and drivers are increasingly forced to circle a block multiple times to snag a spot at shopping strips, more councils are weighing up whether to introduce paid street parking. We’ve charted which metro councils do and don't have it www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Three suspected arson attacks targeting soccer clubs in Melbourne’s south-east are being investigated by police after a Monash Council decision to reallocate a sought-after local ground raised tensions in the sporting community. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Towers up to 20 storeys would loom over a coveted slice of urban bush under plans for the Suburban Rail Loop’s Burwood station precinct, prompting two eastern suburb councils to lack the lack of environment protections proposed for Gardiners Creek. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The Port of Melbourne is rapidly expanding, subsuming neighbouring land as it prepares for double an already record-breaking number of containers. How big is too big for Australia's busiest port, right in the middle of the city? Report with @adamlcarey.bsky.social www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

A $183m project to move goods to and from Melbourne’s port to its suburbs by rail is yet to shift a single shipping container - meaning more and more trucks are clogging our roads. Here's part one of a project I've worked on with @adamlcarey.bsky.social on the port www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Residents in Moonee Ponds are demanding urgent upgrades to deal with a growing threat of flooding. The situation highlights a looming danger across the city, with stormwater systems struggling to handle rising pressure from denser development and climate change www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

One from a couple of days ago: Apartment blocks can now be built with fast-tracked approval closer to footpaths and neighbours, as new diagrams reveal the kinds of developments that could hit residential streets across the state under new ResCode planning rules. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The future of e-scooters in Melbourne is under threat with only Port Phillip Council to have a hire scheme operating from April, after Lime and Neuron pulled its e-scooters out of Yarra after the council decided to hike its fees five-fold. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Parents of sick newborns and women needing cancer treatment or abortion care have been moved out of the Royal Women’s Hospital’s free family accommodation, with the Victorian government selling the site to build new apartments. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The area of Rockbank in Melbourne's outer west is the most fastest growing region in Australia, and it's not about to slow, with the population set to almost triple by 2046. But here, residents are still relying on a single-lane clogged main road riddled with danger www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Prominent state planners are warning that Melbourne’s activity centres risk becoming places where people don’t want to live if the design process is not improved, with the Victorian government not following its own rules for planning activity centres: www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Tonight's Hobsons Bay City Council meeting is going to take aim at the state government's Level Crossing Removal Project works that will permanently close Champion Road. More on this issue here: www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

It was a $250,000 playground that was meant to attract more young families to Nicholson Street Mall in Footscray. But Maribyrnong Council pulled the pin on a two-year trial after overwhelming feedback that it had backfired. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The Dynon Rd rainbow bridge and Footscray Rd green bridge have appeared finished for months after being built as part of the West Gate Tunnel project. Cyclist advocates now accuse the Vic gov of delaying the opening of vital infrastructure for political convenience www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Premier Jacinta Allan’s government faces its first major electoral test with the Feb 8 byelection in Werribee, a traditional Labor stronghold. It's also a crucial test of Brad Battin’s new stewardship of the Vic Liberals and his pitch to win outer-suburban voters www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Does it seem like everybody is angry at cabanas or jet-skis on our beaches this summer? Fresh data shows Victoria's beaches are busier than ever, and behaviour experts says we are facing a "tragedy of the commons" scenario. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The Australian Open has been making a mint on ponchos today. The wearable layers of blue plastic sell for $25 a pop and AO shops are sold out this arvo. More rainy tennis coverage here: www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis... #ausopen

The Age is this week exploring how Melbourne has rapidly expanded to the west in the last 20 yrs and what factors hold the region back from truly flourishing — with the reasons part historic, part political. Reporting with @adamlcarey.bsky.social and Patrick Hatch www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

"We cannot continue to participate in the social network feed of a man who proclaims the death of the media and therefore of journalists... X is a platform that no longer serves the public interest at all, but the special ideological and financial interests of its owner and his political allies"

Inner-west residents are demanding that pollution filters be installed on the West Gate Tunnel’s enormous vents, which spew truck fumes into the air near homes and sport fields. The government and EPA rejected with an earlier recommendation to install filtration. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

The findings from new Deakin research that assessed the kitchens of 115 two-bedroom apartments for sale in Melbourne have prompted calls for stricter standards to ensure the Victorian government's high-rise ambitions deliver quality, liveable housing. www.theage.com.au/national/vic...

Well I very much like Bsky's casual tone of "What's up?", as opposed to the unhinged, frenzied "What is happening?!..????!!!!" Says everything, really.