Have your say on the design of Victoria’s future apartments and townhomes

Victoria is inviting everyday Aussies to help shape its urban landscape by nominating designs to be built across the state. The state government is doing this through its Great Design Fast Track program, an expedited planning pathway to accelerate the development of high-quality apartments and townhomes in Victoria. Applications are now open for developers to have projects with eight or more homes, ranging from two to eight storeys, approved more quickly if they meet the required design and sustainability standards.

Neighbourly homes should enhance local change and create social value. Picture: Six Degrees Architects Eligibility for the program is assessed based on seven design principles, which are: Neighbourly homes Welcoming homes Landscaped homes Sustainable homes Healthy homes Adaptable homes Good value homes These seven principles are outlined in the accompanying state design book, which will also showcase the design of community-nominated buildings that have made a mark. From now until June 8 2025, the public can nominate up to three buildings, existing or new, which demonstrate great design and liveability, across the townhomes, low-rise and mid-rise apartments categories.



When making nominations, people can select which of the seven design principles the buildings demonstrate. They can also rank each principle by what is most important to them in a home. Sustainable homes should embed climate resilience and minimise environmental impacts.

Picture: Jackson Clements Burrows“We know we need more homes, and we need them now – that’s why we’re making sure high-quality and well-designed townhouses and apartments get the greenlight sooner,” minister for planning Sonya Kilkenny said. “We’re going all in to support the design and development of more townhouses and apartments that will stand the test of time in quality, design, aesthetics, sustainability and cost.” To ensure the development of homes that are both innovative and sustainable, applications must demonstrate value through innovative construction methods or cost-effective operations.

Each apartment is also required to achieve an average 8-star rating under NatHERS, while townhouses must reach a 7.5-star rating. Fast-tracking supply The announcement follows the NSW government launching a similar initiative, called the NSW Housing Pattern Book, that has recently been updated with 12 new designs that could soon begin rolling out across the state.

The Housing Industry Association recognised the potential of Victoria’s initiative to speed up the availability of new homes, but it also expressed concern about the complexity of the application process.Welcoming homes should promote a sense of family and community. Picture: Henley HalebrownHIA executive director of Victoria Keith Ryan said it could create a lag in developers taking up the opportunity.

“We hope that these requirements won’t prove too demanding in practice and meet the needs of home buyers,” he said. “In other countries where standard design or pattern book designs have been effective in streamlining and fast-tracking approvals, the designs have been outcomes based rather than an overly prescriptive design recipe book.” The concept of standardising designs to expedite home building was a significant talking point at the Property Council of Australia’s National Housing Solutions Summit in Melbourne, where representatives from Mirvac, Building 4.

0 CRC, Woods Bagot and the Productivity Commission discussed the topic of innovation during a panel. “That conversation needs to be had of a trade-off between every single house that’s going to look unique versus we’re going to be able to produce this stuff in a really efficient way,” Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood said during the panel. “We know from around the world, standardisation can look great when it’s done well.

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