Plans for a cluster of towers at Fishermans Bend have been dumped, as the Andrews government seeks to encourage more affordable homes in a new sustainable suburb within walking distance of the city.

Developers will be able to increase the height and density of apartment towers in the new suburb, but only if they include social housing units for low income earners.

Fishermans Bend is expected to be home to 80,000 residents by 2050. Credit:Craig Abraham

However, there will be no such horse trading on car parking, with strict controls to be set limiting parking to one space for every two homes, as part of a plan to create Melbourne’s most public transport-oriented suburb.

Open and green space, schools, kindergartens, bike path and walking trails have been mapped out in a new vision for a suburb more than twice the size of Melbourne’s CBD, predicted to house 80,000 residents by 2050 and support the same number of jobs.