_Townhouse and Low-Rise Code

This week the Victorian Government announced the expected release in April of the planning schemes amendments to incorporate the ‘Townhouse and Low-Rise Code’ into the Victorian planning statutory system. 

The announcement discusses (without all the detail on content and without its areas of coverage – other than mention of “established suburbs” and areas with public transport).  A summary table of the new Code standards (to enable ‘deemed to comply’ development without planning permits / third party rights) on first reading suggest a more streamlined process but the actual standards (yet to be released) appear to set a very high bar to meet ‘deemed to comply’.  For example, street setbacks will be generally 6 metres; side and rear setbacks of 3 metres and 6 metres from north and south boundaries (good luck meeting that standard on a townhouse lot); not encroaching more than 10 per cent on the tree protection zone of street trees with new crossovers; a mandatory bedroom mix in developments of ten or more townhouses; as jut a few. 

As noted above, the planned April release of the detail will be the fairer way to judge whether the new Code will do little or much to ease the delays in new home approvals.