Urbankind Summary of Victoria’s Housing Statement - Good Decisions Made Faster
You may have heard last month the Victorian Government released its eagerly awaited Housing Statement - The Decade Ahead | 2024-2034. In summary, the Housing Statement puts forward an ambitious plan to tackle the root of the problem: housing supply, by setting a bold target to build 800,000 homes in Victoria over the next decade, and is a welcome review of the planning system as the community faces renewed pressures beyond 2023 when it comes to housing.
This statement covers a range of challenges and strategies such as affordable housing, renters’ rights and more, but for this purpose of our blog today, we are going to focus on the critical section of ‘Good Decisions, made faster’, as many of our clients wanted to learn what this means for their future development aspirations.
Good Decisions made Faster focus on three (3) key issues, all of which are current issues, and challenges facing clients, particularly over the past 18 months.
Reforming Victoria’s planning system to boost housing supply in every corner of the state
Clearing the backlog of planning permits waiting to be approved – and standardising rules to make sure good decisions are made faster
Giving builders, buyers and renovators certainty about how long approvals will take – and a clear pathway to resolve issues quickly if those timeframes aren’t met
We will provide a few pieces over time on this Statement, but for now, we wanted to highlight, a number of key matters this Statement seeks to address when it comes to timeframes of decisions, clearing the backlog of applications and appeals across VCAT and LGAs, and making it somewhat easier to build a second dwelling in some instance.
So what is proposed? Here is a snapshot of some of the highlights that we know many of you have been asking about.
Faster permits and planning certainty - The Statement proposes to streamline assessment pathways with a range of new Deemed to Comply residential standards for different types of homes. Council planners will be able to quickly approve permits for houses that meet the residential standards – like how much space homes take up on a block, or how much storage a home has – meaning councils will only assess aspects of a permit that don’t comply with those standards.
Faster permits and planning certainty - Propose changes to the types of homes that require planning permits. Single dwellings on lots bigger than 300 square metres, and not covered by an overlay, will no longer require a planning permit. Single dwellings on lots smaller than 300 square metres, where an overlay doesn’t exist, will be ticked off within 10 days.
Clear the Backlog - The State Government will begin the work to clear the backlog of 1,400 housing permit applications that have been stuck with councils for more than six months. We’ll have a dedicated team that works with project proponents, local councils, and referral agencies to resolve issues delaying council decision-making.
Making it easier to build a small second home - Smaller second homes on the same lot, also known as granny flats or dwelling garden units have become more and more popular, especially as we have seen a significant shift in intergenerational living. Building a second home is often a complex process, however, this Statement will seek to make it easier to build a second small home on your property. Dwelling garden units won’t require a planning permit if they’re less than 60 square metres. And we’ll also introduce more permit exemptions for single dwellings for things like extensions to sheds and carports. This is not a new approach, as many LGAs in Queensland have provided this. It’s important to note that overlay controls appear to still play a significant role in the decision-making process for now.
What’s been implemented into Planning Schemes already?
Changes include:
Codifying residential development requirements for single dwellings, townhouses and low-rise apartments (Fourteen of the residential development standards have been codified, and work will begin on codifying the remaining standards.)
Deciding single dwelling applications on lots less than 300 square metres in 10-days
Removing the need for a planning permit for a single dwelling on a lot of 300 square metres or more
Expansion of the Future Homes program
Facilitated assessment pathway for significant residential development
Facilitated assessment pathway for significant economic development.
We hope we have got you up to speed on some of the key changes already in effect and some insight into what’s coming soon. We look forward to sharing more on Victoria's Housing Statement as changes are implemented and we evaluate how it’s impacting development projects. These changes are positive steps forward, but we highlight the importance of an independent review of your site, as each site may have constraints that need to be addressed by a Town Planner before you can proceed through the planning process.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about what this means for your projects or ideas please reach out to us at hello@urbankind.studio, or call 0468 511 812.
If you are after more information on the Victorian Housing Statement please follow the link here https://www.vic.gov.au/housing-statement
