Victoria’s population is growing, and so is the need for housing. Meeting this need means we have to build more homes in our cities, towns and regions, including housing in established urban areas that are located near transport and services. To facilitate this, we have introduced the Great Design Fast Track - a new, streamlined planning approval pathway, based on seven principles of good design.
The Great Design Fast Track is available for apartment and townhouse proposals that are two to eight storeys in height with eight or more homes that demonstrate specified principles for great design. These design principles, developed in partnership with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect, will ensure new housing is well-designed, sustainable and liveable for Victorians.
The design principles
The design principles describe attributes that contribute to great medium-density housing.
The design principles are:
Neighbourly homes: Enhancing local identity by embracing change and generating lasting social value.
Welcoming homes: Creating welcoming and safe homes that promote a sense of family and community.
Landscaped homes: Enhancing local biodiversity, natural systems and connections to nature.
Sustainable homes Enduring and high-performing, embedding climate resilience and minimising environmental impacts.
Healthy homes: Enhancing health and wellbeing through integrating the natural and built environment.
Adaptable homes: Housing that meets the diverse and changing needs of households and families.
Good value homes: Supporting more affordable housing through innovative housing development and delivery models that respond to changing housing markets.
The Office of the Victorian Government Architect will lead the assessment of applications against the design principles, ensuring all projects that access the pathway are committed to delivering great design outcomes. Guidance to help applicants in applying these principles will be provided in the state design book.
State design book
We are committed to supporting residential development that is high quality in its design, liveability and sustainability. To help deliver the best homes possible, we are releasing a state design book to show the community, designers and builders a diverse range of great housing, specifically for the Victorian context.
The first instalment of the state design book demonstrates how the Great Design Fast Track design principles can be applied to low-rise and mid-rise housing up to a height of eight storeys.
The first instalment of the state design book is available now.
The Great Design Fast Track (GDFT) is a new planning approval pathway in Victoria that rewards well-designed housing. Proposals which meet the specified principles for good design and sustainability can access this accelerated pathway. It will be open to receive applications in April (2025).
Proposals which meet the specified principles for good design can access this accelerated pathway.
In addition to meeting the specified principles, a proposal for an apartment development can access the pathway if it will achieve better than average sustainability performance - an average Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating of at least 8.0 stars, and no less than 6.5 stars for an individual apartment. Townhouses must achieve a NatHERS rating of no less than 7.5 stars.
All dwellings proposed also need to provide effective natural ventilation, which includes cross ventilation, single sided ventilation or mechanically assisted ventilation.
Compared to a standard planning approval pathway, these requirements raise the bar for the sustainability and performance of proposed developments.
To be eligible for the GDFT, applicants must meet all of the above requirements.
The GDFT is open to well-designed and highly sustainable developments of 2-8 storeys which include 8 or more homes. Proposals cannot be altered to reduce the number of homes below 8 after entering the pathway. The homes must be townhouses or apartments or a combination of the two. Mixed-use buildings where housing is the primary use are also eligible to use this pathway.
The GDFT is open to applications anywhere that housing is allowed under the planning scheme, as long as proposals are two to eight storeys in height and include eight or more homes. However, the intensity and scale of development approved under the GDFT will vary depending on which zone applies to the land.
The Minister for Planning may vary certain requirements of other clauses in the planning scheme that would usually apply. These include garden area, building height, setback, car parking and bicycle parking requirements. To apply to vary height or setback requirements, an application must demonstrate a high-quality and integrated response to the design principles. Waiving or varying a requirement will be assessed by considering the zone, the response to the design principles and the surrounding amenity, urban context and strategic context. Any increase in height must maintain the neighbourliness of the development.
No. The existing height allowed by the zone and the proposal’s response to the surrounding context are central to the assessment process for applications under the GDFT. Proposals must demonstrate alignment with the GDFT design principles to be considered for any increases in height.
The table below provides guidance on the heights that can be considered under each zone.
Zone
Height (storeys)
Neighbourhood Residential Zone
Up to 3 storeys
General Residential Zone
Up to 5 storeys
Residential Growth Zone
Up to 6 storeys
Mixed Use Zone, Commercial 1 Zone or any Special Purpose Zone where dwelling is specified as a section 1 or 2 use.
Up to 8 storeys
A permit application can only be considered to access the pathway if it meets the specified GDFT Principles.These design principles describe attributes that contribute to great medium-density housing. The Office of the Victorian Government Architect leads the assessment of applications against the design principles, ensuring a high standard is upheld. Guidance is available on the planning.vic.gov.au website to help applicants in applying these principles.
Assessment and decision process
Seven design principles are used to assess if a proposal can access the pathway. These principles are:
Neighbourly homes
Welcoming homes
Green homes
Sustainable homes
Healthy homes
Adaptable homes
Good value homes.
The design principles are set out in a document with examples of how each can work in a variety of homes and scales.
Once an application has entered the pathway, the relevant parts of the planning scheme are also considered in the assessment.
The Minister for Planning is the ultimate decision-maker on whether an application is approved under the pathway.
With the Minister for Planning as decision-maker and the removal of third-party appeal rights, the GDFT is designed to facilitate faster planning decisions. The process is considerably more streamlined than a standard planning approval pathway.
Consultation and community
Workshops were held with a panel of experts in architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, sustainability and planning to inform the design principles and policy parameters for the GDFT. Following this, the pathway was further refined through consultation with representatives from the development industry. Hearing from these stakeholder groups helped to ensure that the GDFT meets the needs of Victorians and is useable, attractive and clear.
Neighbours and community members can have their say when an application is advertised in the same way as they would for applications using a standard planning permit pathway. Any relevant concerns or support will be considered in the assessment process. Decisions made under the GDFT cannot be appealed by third parties, such as neighbours, at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). This increases certainty for applicants, reduces cost, and gets homes built more quickly.
Councils are given notice of any application affecting land within their municipal area. If the council provides advice or comment, or objects to the application, this is considered in the assessment of the application before the Minister for Planning makes a decision.
Building safety
There is no change to the usual building permit process. Once a planning permit has been obtained, proposed developments must then get a building permit before construction can begin. This will ensure that all buildings meet the relevant safety and structural requirements.
State design book and nominations
The state design book will outline what well-designed housing looks like in Victoria. The first part of this book has already been created – it contains the GDFT Design Principles and gives guidance about how they can be applied. The next part of the guide will be created through input from the Victorian community. It will include community-nominated housing that displays various aspects of great design and showcase what living in an apartment or townhouse can look like.
Community nominations for part 2 of the design book are open now on the Engage Victoria website.
You can nominate an apartment building or townhouse development located anywhere in Victoria. You can nominate new apartment buildings and townhouses as well as apartments and townhouses that have been around for many years or decades. Guidance on the process and criteria for nominations can be found on the Engage Victoria website.
Further information on the community nomination process can be found on the Engage Victoria website.
