BOOSTING HOUSING CHOICE IN MELBOURNE’S NEW SUBURBS – UPDATE TO THE SMALL LOT HOUSING CODE

The Victorian Government is making it easier for homeowners, developers and builders to build homes on smaller parcels of land, creating more housing choice in Melbourne’s greenfields and growth areas. 

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has announced changes to the Small Lot Housing Code by introducing a new ‘Type C’ set of standards for homes on lots less than 100 square metres (sqm) and updates to the current ‘Type A’ and ‘Type B’ standards.  

The updated standards allow new homes to be built with high levels of amenity including outlook, private open spaces, trees and excellent urban design, while maximising the available land in the growth areas for new communities. 

The Small Lot Housing Code was introduced in 2011 to allow homes to be built on blocks less than 300sqm without a planning permit if the set of design standards are met, saving Victorians time and money. 

The Code applies to most residential and mixed-use Precinct Structure Plans in the Urban Growth Zone in Melbourne’s greenfields and growth areas as well as other special purpose zones in the Cardinia, Casey, Hume, Melton, Mitchell, Whittlesea and Wyndham planning schemes. 

By bringing in these latest amendments to the Code, the Victorian Government is enabling more diverse homes to be built, giving smaller families and single-person households more opportunity to secure a suitable and affordable place to live. 

You can find out more about the updates to the code and view the gazetted code and guidance material at Small Lot Housing Code.