AN EXPANDED Melbourne central business district could add 220,000 new residents in the next three decades, according to a new planning report.

The massive residential expansion would mean a ten-fold increase in the number of residents living in the CBD and require a significant increase in community services such as schools.

Southbank and Fishermans Bend are predicted to add 160,000 new residents, half in each area. A ''city north'' growth corridor through Carlton, stretching from the Hoddle grid to Grattan Street, could add 10,000 new residents, while the Arden-Macaulay precinct in North Melbourne could also add 18,000 residents, Docklands 10,500 and the Hoddle grid itself 20,000.

The report says ''one of Melbourne's competitive advantages is the amount of land available for development in strategic central city locations, such as Fishermans Bend, E-Gate [in West Melbourne] and the Arden precinct''.