After many months of delays, I finally received a response from Melbourne City Council to my proposal and have provided both their email and my response below:
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From: Sam Aftasi
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2026 3:17 PM
To: 'Julian Edwards' <Julian.Edwards@melbourne.vic.gov.au>
Cc: Sam Aftasi <yarrasedgesuburb@gmail.com>; 'Deborah White' <Deborah.White@melbourne.vic.gov.au>
Subject: RE: Correspondence from the City of Melbourne RE: Proposal to Change Suburb Name and Postcode (SF WO 1056295)
Dear Julian,
Thank you for your considered and detailed response, and for the time taken to review the proposal. I appreciate the clarity you have provided regarding Council’s assessment framework and the statutory constraints that apply to locality naming.
I acknowledge Council’s position in relation to Principle J of the Naming Rules and the view that Yarra’s Edge originated as a Mirvac‑developed estate. Respectfully, I consider that the application of Principle J in this instance allows for greater nuance based on the intent of the principle and established precedent. The purpose of Principle J is to avoid the naming of places after businesses, products, brands or promotional entities. Yarra’s Edge (Yarras Edge) does not reference Mirvac or any other commercial entity, nor is it a trading name, product or service. It has instead functioned for more than 25 years as a widely recognised and non‑promotional locality name, used consistently by residents, emergency services, mapping providers, marina records and government systems.
As outlined in the submission, Victoria has several examples where suburb names originated from estate names developed as master-planned residential estates by private companies that subsequently were gazetted as official localities and these became the official suburb names, including Caroline Springs (Developed in 1999 by the developer Delfin), Williams Landing (Developed by Cedar Woods Properties Limited, which secured the name for the estate and subsequent suburb, gazetted in 2008) and Burnside Heights (Developed in the 1990s by a consortium including VicUrban, Triton Property Group, and Sunlands, which was separated from the original Burnside to establish a new identity in 2005). These precedents indicate that estate origin alone has not been treated as an enduring disqualifier where the name is no longer promotional, is embedded in community usage, and provides clear geographic relevance. In this respect, Yarra’s Edge (or Yarras Edge) is intrinsically linked to its physical setting on the Yarra River, which further distinguishes it from a purely branded construct.
In relation to geographic size and population, I note that a number of inner‑city and waterfront suburbs within Melbourne, including South Wharf (0.25 km2), Gardenvale (0.26 km2), Ripponlea (0.29 km2), Kooyong (0.50 km2), St Kilda West (0.52 km2), Cremorne (1km2) are relatively small in area compared with suburban counterparts. The proposed boundary reflects a clearly identifiable peninsula, bounded by the Yarra River, the Bolte Bridge and major transport corridors, and aligns with how the community already understands and navigates the area. The proposal seeks to formalise an established and clearly defined locality, rather than create an arbitrarily fragmented suburb. The recent approval of the Docklands News: https://www.docklandsnews.com.au/councillors-back-major-lorimer-st-project-in-huge-vote-of-confidence-in-fishermans-bend/ Councillors back major Lorimer St project in huge vote of confidence in Fishermans Bend as part of ‘Lorimer’ (refer attached image for proposed area 0.25 km2), suggests land size is not a concern, and this area can be added to Yarras Edge.
With respect to Fishermans Bend, I fully acknowledge the scale and significance of the broader renewal precinct. The proposal cited this and was deliberately framed to complement, rather than pre‑empt or conflict with, future Fishermans Bend identity and naming outcomes. Formal recognition of Yarra’s Edge (Yarras Edge) would provide clarity for an established residential community that predates much of the renewal, while still allowing scope for future, more comprehensive naming considerations across the wider precinct including the addition of Lorimer. In the attached 2018 Fishermans Bend – Lorimer planning document – pages 5 – 8, it describes ‘Lorimer’ as “adjacent to the established Yarra’s Edge residential precinct” [Refer attached image]
Finally, while I recognise that renaming or creating a suburb is a significant and exceptional step, I respectfully submit that the proposal demonstrates enduring community benefit beyond branding or economic considerations. These benefits include improved wayfinding and service clarity, reduced confusion for residents and emergency services, and alignment with a lived and well‑established community identity that has existed for decades.
Given the above, I respectfully challenge the conclusion that Principle J necessarily precludes consideration of Yarra’s Edge (Yarras Edge) as a suburb name. I consider that the current interpretation applies Principle J more rigidly than its intent requires, particularly in circumstances where a name has demonstrably ceased to function as a commercial or promotional identifier and has instead become a long‑established, place‑based locality name.
I would welcome the opportunity to engage further with Council officers to explore whether a reasoned exemption, clarification, or alternative interpretation of Principle J could be agreed—one that remains faithful to the intent of the Naming Rules while also recognising long‑standing community usage, geographic relevance, and established precedent. My intention throughout has been to work constructively within the framework, and I remain keen to understand what conditions or considerations might enable a mutually acceptable outcome.
I look forward to your response and to continuing constructive engagement with Council, with a view to achieving an outcome that appropriately considers the interests of the residents I represent.
Cheers.
Regards,
Sam Aftasi
+ 61 4 0167 5514
yarrasedgesuburb@gmail.com
From: Deborah White <Deborah.White@melbourne.vic.gov.au> On Behalf Of Julian Edwards
Sent: Monday, April 20, 2026 12:08 PM
To: Sam Aftasi
Subject: Correspondence from the City of Melbourne RE: Proposal to Change Suburb Name and Postcode (SF WO 1056295)
WARNING - External email; exercise caution.
Dear Sam,
I refer to your email to Alison Leighton which she has kindly forwarded to myself as the relevant Director at Council with oversight of most of the Place and Road naming requests.
Thank you for including the proposal document outlining the request to change the suburb name and postcode from Docklands 3008 to Yarra’s Edge 3007. I would like to acknowledge the time, effort and care that has gone into preparing this submission, including the historical context, community narrative and examples of other suburb name changes to support your position.
As outlined in your document, Council is the responsible naming authority for places, features and roads within the City of Melbourne. All naming proposals must be assessed in accordance with the Geographic Place Names Act 1998 and the Naming rules for places in Victoria, particularly Section 5, which applies to suburb names (referred to as localities). In addition, Council also has its own Place and Road Naming Policy.
We have carefully reviewed your request further and the information provided in relation to the naming rules, including those addressing commercial associations, duplication, and naming conventions. Notwithstanding this, our assessment remains that the proposed name does not comply with Principle J – Using commercial and business names. Yarra’s Edge is a name that originated as, and remains strongly associated with, a Mirvac-developed residential estate and branded precinct. The current Naming Rules are explicit in discouraging the adoption of estate, commercial or promotional names as formal locality names, regardless of whether the commercial origin is current or historical. On this basis, we cannot support the proposed name change.
It is also noted that the proposed locality boundary is very small in geographic extent and population when compared with established suburbs within Melbourne. The Naming Rules and associated guidance place importance on long-term clarity, legibility and stability of place names across the metropolitan area. Creating a new suburb for a relatively small area presents challenges in this regard and weighs against support for the proposal.
In addition, Council notes that the area sits adjacent to significant current and future urban renewal, being the Fishermans Bend precinct. As the broader renewal progresses, it is likely that place identities, boundaries and naming outcomes will continue to evolve over time. Introducing a new locality name at this point may pre-empt or conflict with future, more comprehensive naming considerations associated with that wider renewal area.
The creation or renaming of a suburb is a significant and exceptional change. Suburb names carry historical, cultural and administrative meaning, and changes can have wide-reaching impacts on residents, businesses, service delivery, emergency services and government systems. While the proposal identifies potential economic and branding benefits, the Naming Rules require that any name change demonstrate clear, compelling and long-term community benefit that outweighs these impacts and aligns with all statutory principles. In this instance, the proposal does not meet that threshold.
While the strong local attachment to the name Yarra’s Edge is acknowledged and we appreciate the desire to formalise that identity, the proposal cannot be supported under the current naming framework. Accordingly, we will not progress the proposed name or postcode change.
We understand this may be disappointing given the effort invested and the aspirations outlined in the submission. We appreciate your engagement with Council on this matter and your understanding of the statutory constraints that apply to locality naming.
Kind Regards
Julian
Julian Edwards (he/him) | Director Planning and Building | Strategy, Planning and Climate Change
City of Melbourne | Council House 2, 240 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 3000 | GPO Box 1603 Melbourne VIC 3001
T: 9658 9788 | M: 0422 181 863 | E: julian.edwards@melbourne.vic.gov.au