Explore our ready-made architectural designs and purpose-built planning process to get you building faster.
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What are Future homes?
Future Homes is a Victorian government program that offers a streamlined planning pathway for three storey apartment developments. It applies to developments that utilise the adaptable Future Homes exemplar designs in eligible locations.
With Victoria’s population set to reach 10.2 million by 2051 it’s important to provide high quality, liveable and sustainable housing where people want to live. Future Homes responds to Victoria’s continuing population growth and has been created to enable gentle density increases in the suburbs through high-quality development.
The program is an initiative of the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), including the Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA), to deliver quality apartments that are great homes, great neighbours and great for the environment – this is the standard of housing we believe Victorians deserve.
Location
Future Homes designs are available for eligible sites across Victoria. Use our interactive map to explore eligible locations:
You can purchase a Future Homes design if your site meets the following eligibility criteria:
The land is in a General Residential Zone, and
Any part of the land is within 800 meters of
a passenger train station,
an identified activity centre in Metropolitan Melbourne, or
a designated centre outside Metropolitan Melbourne, and
The land is not within a heritage overlay or neighbourhood character overlay, and
The land does not have restrictions preventing an apartment development of this type.
There is no mandatory minimum lot size for Future Homes developments. The designs are crafted to suit two typical side-by-side suburban lots, equating to a total site area of roughly 1200 square metres, however they can be adapted to sites of various sizes and shapes, with larger sites being capable of supporting larger developments.
Exemplar designs
- Future Homes design A
Design Strategy Architecture with IncluDesign
- Future Homes design B
LIAN Architects
- Future Homes design C
McGregor Westlake Architecture
- Future Homes design D
Spiral Architects Lab
Future Homes design A
Design Strategy Architecture with IncluDesign
Future Homes design B
LIAN Architects
Future Homes design C
McGregor Westlake Architecture
Future Homes design D
Spiral Architects Lab
The Future Homes exemplar designs are site-less architectural packages for three-storey apartment buildings that are ready to be adapted to eligible sites across Victoria. There are four distinct designs to choose from.
Design A: Design Strategy / Architecture with IncluDesign
Design B: LIAN
Design C: McGregor Westlake Architecture
Design D: Spiral Architects Lab
Each of these designs has been carefully developed and tested by a team of industry professionals to ensure they meet the objectives of the Future Homes program. You can view Design Intent Plans for each exemplar on the Future Homes exemplar designs page. These are plans that give a general idea of each design that you can decide which one is best for your site.
When you purchase a Future Homes design, you will receive a package that includes three different base layout options to adapt to your site along with an example site plan, landscaping, general apartment plans, elevations, sections, material schedules and more. These come in the form of PDFs and CAD files for you to adapt.
Can I change the designs?
Yes, the designs are intended to be adapted. They can be changed to suit your site conditions and development objectives. You can change the number and mix of dwellings provided the final adaptation meets the 13 mandatory requirements, plus building height and garden area requirements prescribed under the General Residential Zone.
Detailed guidance on how to successfully adapt a design can be found in the building Future Homes adaptation guide.
When you purchase a Future Homes design you will automatically be given access to the Future Homes planning pathway.
This four-phase process is designed to be faster and more streamlined than a traditional planning pathway to get you building sooner.
Phase 1 – Design adaptation and initiation meeting
Customise the design to fit your specific requirements.
Phase 2 – Referrals: DTP and other authorities
Submit a pre-application referral to us and other authorities as required and obtain feedback.
Phase 3 – Council lodgement and community notice
Submit your adapted design and application documentation to council.
Phase 4 – Delegated decision
Council reviews the application and issues a decision.
In some cases, this streamlined process can result in a planning permit being granted within half the usual timeframe. However, a faster planning process does not mean a poorer outcome or that the community doesn’t have a say. The views of the community are important and will continue to be considered as part of the usual planning notification process through council. Unlike regular planning applications, Future Homes applications are exempt from third-party appeal rights.
If your site is affected by an overlay, third party appeal rights exist in relation to the overlay only. A decision by council can be appealed by an objector to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal in relation to the applicable overlay.
What makes Future Homes different from other apartment developments?
The design brief for Future Homes asked for high quality apartments that people want to live in. This means Future Homes will deliver apartments that are better homes, better neighbours and better for the environment.
Future Homes apartments are better homes because they are:
Family friendly in design. The architects worked closely with experts in the field to ensure that apartments have space for families to grow.
Features such as adequate bench space adjacent to sinks and inclusion of laundry troughs have been built in.
Accessibility for different stages of life has been considered in all Future Homes designs, with a minimum of 50% of the apartments exceeding current accessibility standards. This means apartments are easier to move around in and change over time, allowing residents to age in place gracefully. Some of the mandated features include wider corridors and adequate space in bathrooms for ease of all residents.
Flexibility of space is increasingly important to how we live. Future Homes designs have spaces that can be easily adapted for working and studying from home.
Choice in apartments is important. All Future Homes designs have a range of apartment sizes and can be adapted to best suit individual sites and requirements.
Garden and deep soil areas are mandated in the designs and the planning provisions. This means more trees, vegetation, and greener looking neighbourhoods.
Communal and shared spaces are included in each design so residents can enjoy outdoor spaces and fresh air.
Sustainability is front of mind in all Future Homes designs. Apartments have been designed to exceed the current sustainability performance requirements – meaning homes are more comfortable to live in, cheaper to run and better for the planet. All Future Homes developments have been designed to operate as fossil fuel-free from day one.
Cost
To celebrate the state-wide expansion of Future Homes, the designs are currently available for only $150 (excl. GST), heavily subsidised from the usual $15,000 (excl. GST). This fee covers:
A full package of developed architectural designs, at a town planning level of resolution, and
Access to the Future Homes streamlined planning process.
Note: There are costs associated with appointing a designer to adapt the selected design to your site. These costs should be discussed with your technical team.
A planning permit application fee will be payable to council at the time of lodgement. Contact the council to determine the application fee.
A Metropolitan planning levy applies to applications for a planning permit to develop land in metropolitan Melbourne where the estimated cost of the development is more than $1 million.
Like any other planning application there may be other fees associated with a development of this scale, such as development contributions, private open space contributions and subdivision fees. Discuss these and other fees with the council and/or your consultant team
How do I purchase a Future Homes design?
Ready to purchase a Future Homes design? Follow these four steps to get started on your Future Homes journey:
Confirm Eligibility: Ensure your site qualifies for the program using the Future Homes mapping tool
