Talbot Village is a proposed walkable village-like neighbourhood with expansive parkland and wetland reserves set on a former quarry and landfill site at Oakleigh South, Melbourne. It will see urban renewal of an under-utilised site.
The former quarry and landfill site is owned by Sterling Global – a Melbourne based private development and investment group focussed on financially sound premium-tier opportunities. Sterling Global has been conducting studies and developing future use plans for the site since 2012.
In September 2025 the Minister for Planning referred the Talbot Village project to the Priority Project Standing Advisory Committee. This follows a recently concluded call for and review of submissions on the proposed development (June to August 2025).
The Committee has been tasked to review issues arising from submissions on the following specific issues:
As noted, the Committee’s review will exclude matters addressed in an earlier review (‘Referral 41’ to the Priority Project Standing Advisory Committee). This 2024 review concluded that there were no ‘roadblock’ issues preventing the proposed Talbot Village development from proceeding to public exhibition.
Specifically, the 2024 review assessed whether the proposed Environmental Management Strategy (EMS) and Geotechnical Development Strategy (GDS) for the project adequately addressed risks to human health, amenity, and development—namely contamination, landfill gas, and unstable ground conditions.
The 2024 review recommended that the proposal proceed to public exhibition, concluding that the technical documentation—including the EMS and GDS—were sufficiently robust. It advised that development should be generally in accordance with the proposed development plan.
The review also found the proposed environmental and geotechnical measures acceptable, enforceable through planning tools, and not placing an unreasonable burden on future landowners.
Planning has focused on delivering a 20-minute neighbourhood where new and existing residents will benefit from having most of their daily needs within a ten minute (twenty minute return) journey from home. This includes access to shops, services, transit and recreation.
Other key features of the proposed development are:
Melbourne generally is facing a housing shortage – an issue well canvassed in the Victoria Government’s 2024 Housing Statement. This seeks to build 800,000 homes in Victoria over the next decade by unlocking land close to where people work and have access to existing infrastructure and facilities and reducing the pressure on the urban fringe of Melbourne.
The planning behind Talbot Village aims to support this housing goal.
The proposals for housing supply and diversity at Talbot Village have been put forward to help ensure that there are options for different household types in the area. Providing diverse housing options fosters a vibrant community by accommodating various income levels, reducing economic segregation, and supporting workforce retention. It enhances sustainability by minimising commute times, optimising infrastructure, and promoting efficient land use.
Additionally, housing diversity drives local economic growth, making communities more resilient and adaptable to changing needs. Affordable housing options ensure homes for people who provide community services in a local area (eg teachers, emergency response, community workers).
A variety of dwelling types are proposed for Talbot Village ranging from single bedroom apartments to larger four bedroom townhouses totalling between approximately 860 to 1,100 dwellings.
Building heights are expected to range between two and six storeys, with heights tapering down towards the land’s more sensitive residential interfaces.
As a guide, the proposed mix of dwelling types includes:
Commercially turning the site into greenspace is not feasible and given demand for housing in the area a balance between new housing and community open space is proposed.
The site is privately held land and Monash City Council has no intention to purchase the land for greenspace. The space has also not been identified by the Council as being destined for open space.
Talbot Village will be a significant improvement on the current amenity of the site which remains closed due to its former use as a quarry. It is also adjacent to two existing parks (Davis Reserve and Talbot Park).
Public and open space areas are proposed to total 15.9 per cent of the Talbot Village land. This includes:
This question has been assessed through a 2020 independent environmental audit (approved by the EPA) and a 2024 independent planning panel. Both confirm the site can be developed for housing and mixed use with appropriate safeguards.
These matters have been comprehensively investigated including the 2020 independent environmental audit (approved by the EPA) and a 2024 independent planning panel.
The environmental audit found that while some soil contamination is identified at the site, it is relatively minor and generally confined to landfilled areas which constitutes about 20% of the site in the north-east (identified in planning documents as ‘Zone 1’ or ‘Domain 1’).
Asbestos containing materials (bonded ACM) were also encountered in limited locations. Given the timing of the historical importation of fill/wastes to site there is also potential that further asbestos may be present at depth within landfill wastes and historically imported fill.
Any contaminated soil on-site will be securely contained and managed to ensure it remains undisturbed during redevelopment and future use. This will be mainly associated with restricting access to potentially contaminated and/or aesthetically unsuitable soils.
The audit found that based on the proposed future use of the site, with proper remediation and careful urban design, the risk in this area can be appropriately managed.
A full range of planning studies and investigations have been completed for the Talbot Village site. These include:
In 2023 a permit was issued by the Monash City Council to undertake early works for ground improvements in an area known as ‘Domain 1’. This is located in the northwest quadrant of the site. To date there has been no approvals for rezoning of the site for mixed or other uses.
This matter was assessed as part of the current application to rezone the land. Existing service infrastructure can accommodate the development pending some upgrades and installations typical for a development of this size.
In late 2024 the Victoria Department of Transport and Planning advised that the project will enter the Development Facilitation Program process. This makes the Minister for Planning the responsible authority for approving or otherwise proposed rezoning changes necessary to redevelop the land.
Planning controls will include conditions or reference to commitments in the Geotechnical Development Strategy and the Statements of Environmental Audit issued for the site.
The GDS predicts future settlement rates across the project area and provides various geotechnical solutions for the different ground conditions across the site. The EMS sets out how things like landfill gas will be monitored (landfill gas effects only a portion of the site). These documents can be found under the “What are our plans” tab of this website.
There are established regulations and standards around such impacts to protect the amenity of properties and neighbours adjacent to any construction. For Talbot Village such impacts will also be monitored and managed in accordance with a Construction Management Plan, which is a requirement of any planning permit issued to ensure amenity considerations are thought through during the site preparation and construction phase. A construction environmental management plan was prepared as part of the environmental audit which must also be implemented during the site redevelopment.
The Development Plan and all its supporting documents are displayed on the Engage Victoria website. These can be found in a tab entitled “Development Plan and Background Reports.”
Traffic will be managed by a signalised intersection into Talbot Village from Huntingdale Road. The Centre Road access to Talbot Village is proposed to be “left in, left out” only.
The Executive Summary for the “Traffic” section of the Integrated Transport Plan considers the capacity of the Centre Road and Huntingdale Road intersection and can be viewed at the Engage Victoria Website.
At this stage Talbot Village is proposing private waste collection.
Public consultation on the masterplan for Talbot Village occurred during 2021-2022.
With respect to a walking path in plans in the Amara Estate, this is one of the recommended walking trails that can lead to Talbot from Clayton (vice versa). It is not a compulsory access route and we can consider removing this on the plan to avoid confusion
Currently proposed are community / offices for small business, small scale retail shops or local convenience shops, and a childcare or early leaning facility.
Tenants are yet to be confirmed as the proposal is still subject to a Planning Scheme Amendment.
The current elevated mounds onsite will be removed. The proposed levels around the interfaced boundaries are detailed in Section 4.4 “Building Address and Interface” of the Development Plan. This provides all indicative boundary interfaces and future proposed levels. Please see the Engage Vicotria website.
15% of the site is committed to new parks that will be publicly accessible open spaces within Talbot Village. These will be managed and maintained by the future body corporate. Please refer to Section 4.6 “Open Space and Landscape” of the Development Plan for all information on new parks. This can be found on the Engage Victoria website.
The spaces will be 24/7 accessible to the public. This is more than double the requirements of Monash Council (7.61%). As such the project is proposed to be exempt from the open space requirement to avoid double payment.
It is quite normal and typical for an estate of this size to have a Body Corporate. We don’t foresee the body corporate fees being significantly different from other private estates in Victoria.
Environmental management measures during site redevelopment will be the responsibility of the developer.
Management requirements post construction are not proposed to be onerous, in recognition that they will be implemented by an Owners Corporation. Measures will be limited to routine inspection and maintenance of gas protection infrastructure and enforcement of the Owners Corporation rules.
Set within the urban charm of Oakleigh South, Talbot Village is a vision for an integrated community with a vibrant centre, offering a refined local living with established services within easy reach.