Home builders in Glen Iris
City of Boroondara · Boroondara Planning Scheme · Inner East Melbourne Knockdown rebuild
- Council
- City of Boroondara
- Planning scheme
- Boroondara Planning Scheme
- Overlays mapped here
- Heritage Overlay · Built Form Overlay · Parking Overlay · Land Subject to Inundation Overlay · Special Building Overlay · Design and Development Overlay · Development Contributions Plan Overlay · Neighbourhood Character Overlay · Environmental Audit Overlay · Development Plan Overlay · Significant Landscape Overlay · Vegetation Protection Overlay
- Residential zones mapped
- GRZ1 general residential zone - schedule 1
GRZ10 general residential zone - schedule 10
GRZ2 general residential zone - schedule 2
GRZ3 general residential zone - schedule 3
GRZ4 general residential zone - schedule 4
GRZ5 general residential zone - schedule 5
GRZ7 general residential zone - schedule 7
MUZ mixed use zone
NRZ1 neighbourhood residential zone - schedule 1
NRZ2 neighbourhood residential zone - schedule 2
NRZ3 neighbourhood residential zone - schedule 3
NRZ4 neighbourhood residential zone - schedule 4 - Bushfire-prone land
- None mapped
- Heritage overlay schedules
- 97
Planning data from Vicmap Planning (DTP Victoria) (CC BY 4.0), read 2026-09-14. Suburb-level, not a report on your block — check your address on VicPlan.
Builders serving Glen Iris
None yet — tell us what you're building and we'll go and find one.
What building in Glen Iris actually involves
Glen Iris is the only suburb in this region carrying a Neighbourhood Character Overlay, and it carries twelve overlay families in total — more than any other suburb in this region we have mapped. Twelve residential zone schedules are mapped across it as well.
Character is a control here, not a preference
A Neighbourhood Character Overlay puts the existing streetscape into the permit test. It is not advisory. Where it applies, a design that would pass anywhere else in the region can fail on siting, roof form or front setback, and the fix is usually a redesign rather than a negotiation.
Vegetation and landscape controls sit alongside it
Vegetation Protection and Significant Landscape overlays are both mapped in Glen Iris, along with Land Subject to Inundation and Special Building controls following Gardiners Creek and Back Creek. Established trees frequently decide where a house can physically sit, which is a design input, not a landscaping decision.
Ninety-seven heritage schedules
Heritage Overlay schedules intersect the suburb 97 times. That is a lower density than Hawthorn or Kew but more than enough that heritage has to be checked at the address rather than assumed away.
The council boundary runs through Glen Iris
Part of the suburb sits in the City of Boroondara and part in Stonnington. Different council means a different planning scheme, a different set of local policies and a different lodgement, and the boundary does not follow anything visible from the street. It is a one-line check at the address, and getting it wrong means the wrong scheme, the wrong fees and the wrong expectations about what gets approved.
What to ask a builder
Ask whether they have designed under a Neighbourhood Character Overlay before and what it changed. Ask for an arborist before a designer if there are established trees. And ask for recent approvals with whichever council your block actually lodges with, not just addresses in the suburb.
Local landmarks in Glen Iris
- Gardiner
- Burwood
- Back Creek
- Tooronga Village Shopping Centre
- Ferndale Park
- Lewin Reserve
- Nettleton Park
- Hartwell Sports Ground
Questions about building in Glen Iris
How many overlays are mapped in Glen Iris?
Twelve overlay families, which is the most of any suburb in this region we have published. They include heritage, character, vegetation protection, significant landscape, flood and special building controls.
Do tree controls apply in Glen Iris?
Vegetation Protection and Significant Landscape overlays are both mapped here. Established trees often decide where a new house can sit, so get an arborist involved before a designer.
Is Glen Iris heritage-constrained?
97 Heritage Overlay schedules intersect the suburb. Less dense than Hawthorn or Kew, but enough that the overlay position has to be read at the address before design starts.
Does Gardiners Creek flood affect building?
Land Subject to Inundation and Special Building overlays are mapped in Glen Iris and follow the creek lines. Where they apply they can set a floor level and change what the slab costs.
Which council covers Glen Iris?
Both — the boundary runs through the suburb. Part sits in the City of Boroondara and part in Stonnington, each with its own planning scheme and local policies. It is not visible from the street, so confirm it at the address.