With the city's population set to expand to 8 million people by 2051, Planning Minister Richard Wynne has confirmed that Melbourne's established "middle ring" - which includes highly protected suburbs such as Glen Waverly, Hampton and Doncaster - will be asked to squeeze in more dwellings to help manage future growth.

Under the refreshed Plan Melbourne blueprint, the limit of two dwellings per block will be scrapped, giving developers the ability to build more townhouses, villas and other properties across the city.

Mandatory maximum height limits will also be set for new dwellings - including an increase from nine to 11 metres in general residential zones.

And housing blocks of 400 square metres or more will be required to provide minimum garden space, a move partly designed to stem the tide of "McMansions" and other buildings built from "boundary to boundary".

"This is all about protecting the much-loved Aussie backyard," Mr Wynne said.

Announcing the strategy on Saturday, Mr Wynne said the changes would provide greater certainty and protection, while at the same time ensuring that the state had a long-term plan to manage its rapidly expanding population.

However, the push to get the middle suburbs to take on more of Victoria's growth will be fiercely resisted by some residents keen to protect their patch.

"We're already under stress as a nation from the pace of change - so one of the things that needs to be done to help alleviate that is to preserve our neighbourhoods," said Save Our Suburbs president Ian Wood.

Mentone father Steve McMahon welcomed the new blueprint, saying having space in the backyard was essential for young families like his, but admitted "I would probably be a bit concerned" if a high density property was built next door.

The long-awaited Plan Melbourne strategy reveals that Victoria's population is projected to rise to 10.1 million people by 2051 - of which 2.2 million people will be in the regions.

Melbourne's school-age population is expected to grow by around 500,000 in that time, while the city's transport network will need to handle an extra 10.4 million trips per day.

As part of the strategy:

• The government will maintain a goal for 70 per cent of new housing to be built in established areas.
• Buildings in neighbourhood residential zones will have maximum mandatory height limits of nine metres, and general residential zones will have a maximum mandatory height of 11 metres (although councils can seek to vary this, and developers can still apply for higher limits at VCAT).
• New blocks between 400 and 500 square metres will be required to have a garden area no smaller than 25 per cent of the site; blocks between 501 and 650 square metres will need a 30 per cent garden area; and blocks larger than 650 square metres must have a 35 per cent garden area.

Property Council state executive director Sally Capp??? said the blueprint would give the community an opportunity to change its thinking when it comes to appropriate housing and density.

"We need to move from the NIMBY attitude to the 'Yes In My Back Yard' attitude," she said.

Planning Institute president Laura Murray said Melbourne needed to grow, but could not simply rely on the outer growth areas to take on most of the burden because "it's unsustainable and puts pressure on existing and new infrastructure".

But Liberal planning spokesman David Davis accused the government of "stripping away protections and increasing the density of Melbourne".