Small Lot Housing Code

MPS creates the Small Lot Housing Code of Victoria

We came up with a simple idea to engage with homebuyers, renters, builders, land developers, land marketers and councils… the Small Lot Housing Code.

• Incentivises medium-density housing…making it code-assessable

• Affordability…no minimum lot size reduces land cost

• Innovation…encourages housing diversity and choice

• Cutting red tape…no need for a planning application…less council fees

• Speeds up housing delivery process…less bureaucratic interruptions

In 2010 the minimum lot size for detached dwellings was 300sq.m and anything under that required a planning permit which could take years to get approved.

The Growth Area Authority (a precursor to the Victorian Planning Authority) was encouraging lots of medium-density zonings in growth areas but land developers were disinterested…too much risk and not their skillset.

This frustrated the GAA and the growth area councils as house buyers were faced with limited housing choice and poor affordability.

MPS came up with a compelling idea.

We had a simple idea to overcome this problem and called a meeting with the CEO of the GAA. Our strategy was to codify the siting requirements of houses on small lots such that a building surveyor could assess building design compliance on each lot cutting out the need for a council planning application.

We argued that this would incentivise land developers to partner with home builders to produce affordable medium-density housing with little risk and higher land value.

MPS was commissioned by the GAA to co-author the Small Lot Housing Code for lot sizes less than 300sq.m in designated growth areas. The code was gazetted in 2012 and medium-density housing became a main component of all residential land releases.

The GAA set three guiding principles. The code would need to encourage innovation, improve housing affordability, and cut red tape. It did all this and set up the framework for Melbourne to lead the country in smart residential growth and to bring down median housing costs.

MPS considers that our simple idea has improved community and individual lifestyle and has created greater housing choice and wealth. It has also given many developers, builders, manufacturers, design professionals, planners, and governments a framework to engage with medium-density housing as an essential component of all future communities.