MELBOURNE, 25 February, 2025: The Jacinta Allan Victorian government has announced a ‘townhouse code’ that will rapidly approve new home buildings up to three storeys tall, so long as they are appropriate for the community that surrounds them and the residents that will live in them.
Premier Jacinta Allan joined Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny in Brunswick today to release the new code, which is all about turbocharging the approval of more duplexes, townhouses and low-rise apartments for workers and young people – especially in established suburbs close to transport, jobs and services.
If a project ticks all the boxes in the townhouse code, it gets a green light and speeds past a complex planning system – with no costly delays, no VCAT limbo, and no unnecessary bureaucracy – delivering more homes, faster.
Premier Jacinta Allan said, “Homes don’t get built when they’re lost in the snakes and ladders of the planning system – so we’re fixing it.”
“The status quo isn’t cutting it, and people trying to build homes for young people keep hearing the word ‘no’. The townhouse code is about a system that says yes.
The status quo system is plagued with delay and uncertainty
Too many people trying to build a home in Victoria face a system that seems designed to say no. The ‘snakes and ladders’ game of obtaining a planning permit is one of the reasons why Victoria still doesn’t have enough homes – with those who do manage to finish the game often spending too much money absorbing its delays.
The average assessment time for a planning permit is 145 days – well over the statutory deadline. There can be constant requests for ‘more information’ throughout the process, plus notice periods. Then there’s appeals: the average time frame at VCAT from lodgement to hearing is 175 days.
The status quo just won’t cut it anymore. We need to build more homes, in the places people want to live. pic.twitter.com/zfLgqnsuka
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) February 24, 2025
The townhouse code, for a system that says yes
The townhouse code sets basic but important standards for good development, like enough setback and tree coverage so a building suits the neighbourhood, and well-sized bedrooms and decent sunlight so it’s a nice place to live. The standards include, but are not limited to:
• Neighbourhood character rules like six metre setbacks at the front, and setbacks at the side and rear
• Tree canopy and open space requirements, including protecting trees that are a certain size
• A mix of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments in projects of a certain size, to support families
• Protection for neighbours from overlooking and overshadowing
• Enough sunlight, storage, room size, ventilation and private open space for residents
• Buildings that are sustainable and energy efficient
A planning permit application will have to include all the evidence it meets the code – which is formally called the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code. When an application is submitted, councils will assess if it meets the code.
If the code is met, the application is‘deemed to comply’. No more assessment isrequired. It is fast-tracked. Affected neighbours will be notified and can have their say – but there are no third-party appeals at VCAT.
The Townhouse and Low-Rise Code will come into effect via an amendment to all planning schemes, subject to gazettal. An application can be lodged through this code in April. To view the code, visit www.planning.vic.gov.au/news/articles/new-townhouse-and-low-rise-code
