Planning Minister Matthew Guy began implementing the new planning zones for Victorian Councils this week.
The new guidelines will give a greater sense of certainty as to what can be built and where to residents and developers.
Streets are to be divided into three types, ‘neighbourhood’, ‘general’ and ‘growth’ zones. The quieter ‘neighbourhood’ streets will be restricted to double-storey homes and stricter rules for extensions as well as two or less dwellings per block of land. New buildings will also have to fit in with the streetscape or cultural feel of the street, so as to avoid big ugly developments that take away from the heritage of quieter areas.
In the zones identified as medium density ‘growth’ areas, buildings will be allowed up to four storeys (13.5 metres) and in the ‘general’ zones new buildings will be allowed up to eight metres unless council asks for a unique permission for higher.
The new guidelines have been partly set out to reduce red tape and tribunal appeals.
Councils, developers and residents have the next 12 months to fight out which streets are going to fall under which of the three categories.
