The Allan Labor Government has given the green light to transform one of Melbourne’s former golf courses into a new community with nearly a thousand homes planned for the site over the next decade.
Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny announced the approval of the Kingswood Golf Course Development Plan, which will guide the creation of approximately 941 new homes across 15 stages in Dingley Village, one of Melbourne’s key growth corridors in the south-east.
It’s a project that’s been years in the making, balancing the demand for new homes with the preservation of green space, community character, and local amenity.
A Thoughtful Approach to Urban Infill
The plan for the former Kingswood Golf Course is more than a housing estate; it’s a carefully staged urban renewal project designed to integrate new residents seamlessly with the existing community.
Across the 15 planned stages, the project will include roads, cycleways, playgrounds, and open space to support a connected neighbourhood. Importantly, 10 per cent of the homes will be set aside as affordable housing, helping address one of Victoria’s most pressing issues: housing accessibility.
“This isn’t about sprawl, it’s about smart, sustainable growth,” Kilkenny said. “We’re unlocking underutilised land to deliver more homes and create new opportunities for people in Melbourne’s south-east.”
The plan also commits to preserving hundreds of mature trees and planting thousands of new ones, with 20 per cent of the site nearly 10 hectares dedicated to parks, green space, and walking trails.
Community Consultation Drives the Outcome
The Kingswood redevelopment has been one of Melbourne’s more closely watched planning debates, with strong community opinions on both sides.
Years of consultation between the developer, Satterley Property Group, Kingston Council, and local residents have shaped the final plan. Key outcomes include:
- Retention of significant trees and vegetation
- A clear staging plan for infrastructure delivery
- Updated subdivision layouts based on community input
- Commitments to local sporting and community facilities
Satterley, one of Australia’s largest and most experienced residential developers says the feedback has been instrumental in shaping a plan that respects Dingley Village’s identity while meeting the needs of future generations.
“We’ve worked hard to ensure the design reflects the local community’s values, more open space, better connectivity, and a genuine sense of place,” a Satterley spokesperson said.
Housing Targets and the Bigger Picture
The redevelopment comes as Victoria faces its most acute housing supply challenge in decades. With migration, population growth, and affordability pressures mounting, the Allan Government has made clear that urban infill, projects like Kingswood will play a key role in meeting demand.
Victoria’s updated planning strategy aims to build 800,000 homes in the next decade, supported by reforms to speed up approvals and unlock underutilised land across metropolitan and regional areas.
The Dingley Village project forms part of that broader policy shift, focusing on “gentle density” within established suburbs rather than relying solely on fringe expansion.
“The only way to make housing fairer for young Victorians is to build more homes faster,” Kilkenny said. “That’s exactly why we’re overhauling our planning system because the status quo is not an option.”
A New Neighbourhood, Built Over Time
Unlike many large estates developed on the city’s outskirts, Kingswood will unfold gradually over a ten-year horizon, allowing infrastructure, transport, and services to keep pace with growth.
The first stages are expected to focus on essential infrastructure and early residential lots, with later stages introducing a community hub, recreation facilities, and public parklands.
Among these plans is a new sporting and community centre, which Satterley has committed to delivering in partnership with local stakeholders. The centre will provide recreation and event space for both new and existing residents, a move designed to bring the broader community together rather than divide it.
Environmental and Social Balance
For a project of this scale, environmental management is central to community acceptance.
The development plan includes strong commitments to:
- Tree retention and replanting, maintaining local canopy cover
- Water-sensitive urban design to protect nearby waterways
- Sustainable transport links, including cycling and pedestrian pathways
- Low-impact construction staging to minimise disruption to neighbours
These considerations will help ensure that Kingswood becomes a blueprint for responsible urban regeneration not simply another housing estate.
What It Means for Builders and the Industry
For the construction sector, projects like Kingswood represent a significant opportunity and a responsibility.
As the Victorian Government accelerates housing supply, builders will increasingly be called upon to deliver high-quality, medium-density homes that meet community expectations for liveability and sustainability.
Dingley Village’s redevelopment will likely showcase a range of home types, from townhouses to detached family dwellings, providing opportunities for volume builders and smaller local operators alike.
Beyond the commercial opportunity, Kingswood also represents a shift in how the industry approaches land use moving away from greenfield expansion toward more integrated, infill solutions that make better use of existing infrastructure.
The Good Builder Take
At The Good Builder, we often talk about the importance of projects that restore trust in how communities grow. Kingswood is one of those, a chance to show that large-scale housing development can balance density with green space, and growth with respect for place.
If delivered as promised, Dingley Village’s transformation could become a benchmark for how to build new homes responsibly within existing suburbs without sacrificing community character or environmental integrity.
For builders, developers, and planners, it’s a timely reminder: when growth is guided by consultation, transparency, and thoughtful design, it earns social licence and sets a higher standard for the next wave of housing projects.
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