The Allan Labor Government is delivering more high-quality homes sooner, with the first project approved under the new Great Design Fast Track planning pathway.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny today announced approval for a seven storey, 27 home development at 301-317 Rae Street, Fitzroy North - the first project to receive the greenlight through this streamlined process.
The development will deliver a mix of two and three-bedroom apartments as well as car and bike parking. Future residents will live just moments from great transport, local shops and some of Melbourne's best parks, including Edinburgh Gardens and Princes Park.
Located in one of Melbourne's most connected neighbourhoods - close to the Route 96 and Route 11 trams, several bus routes, the Capital City Trail, and the shops of Brunswick Street and St Georges Road - it is exactly the type of well-serviced area where more homes should be built.
This project was approved three months after the application was officially submitted. Comparatively, a similar sized development could take up to eight months for council approval - or even years if it gets dragged to VCAT.
The Great Design Fast Track is a new streamlined planning pathway that is making it quicker and easier to approve well-designed homes from two to eight storeys.
Projects must meet certain design principles to qualify for the pathway, ensuring they are high-quality, long-lasting and good value for residents. The Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) will review applications to confirm they meet these high standards.
Locals still retain their right to have their say and all submissions will be considered, but they will be fast tracked, meaning there will be no third-party appeals, with the Minister for Planning being the responsible authority for projects that go through this pathway.
The new planning pathway builds on the Labor Government's bold housing reforms to give Victorians real housing choice - more opportunities to live in the communities they love.
This includes overhauling outdated planning laws, fast tracking good developments, slashing stamp duty on off the plan homes, setting housing targets for every council, delivering more homes near public transport, making it easier to subdivide, and simplifying townhouse and duplex approvals.
As stated by the Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny
"This is exactly what the Great Design Fast Track is all about - backing great design, cutting delays and getting more high-quality homes built sooner."
"It is another way we are delivering more choice, more supply, more homes in the places people love - because that is what Victorians deserve."
