State Fast-Tracks Approval of 750 Homes Across Melbourne
More than 750 homes across three projects have been fast-tracked by Victoria’s Development Facilitation Program.
The trio of housing projects—399 homes at Windsor, 123 homes at Sandringham and a two-block Mill Park project—were pushed through the program that aims to streamline the state’s planning process.
The Windsor project at a Punt Road site, 5km south of Melbourne CBD, is a $158-million build-to-rent project by James Park Investments submitted last year (pictured at top).
At Sandringham, the project for the site on Bay Road is the latest iteration of plans by Melbourne developer Hengyi, which updated its previous proposals for a tower trio after being refused at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
And further north, the Mill Park scheme was initially conceived as a 175-unit project before a proposed upscale to take it to 254 apartments was submitted last year.
Those updated plans by South Morang Delivery Pty Ltd for 18 Bush Boulevard went on exhibition last month and were recently approved.
The Development Facilitation Program introduced in 2024 aims to fast-track eligible and significant developments by bypassing standard planning panel processes, and offers a target four-month pathway for planning permits from the planning minister.
Housing projects must deliver at least 10 per cent affordable housing to be eligible.
These three developments bring the total number of homes accelerated through the pathway to more than 8000 approved homes in just over two years.
The Victorian government said it “continues to lead the nation when it comes to delivering homes”.
According to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics approvals data, in December 2025 total home approvals fell 2.4 per cent in the state, compared with a 1 per cent decrease in NSW and 2.2 per cent decline in the ACT.
Queensland’s approvals rose 1.6 per cent, while Western Australia’s were up 2 per cent.
NSW has also worked to implement its own facilitation project, with projects being fast-tracked to the State Significant pathway by its Housing Delivery Authority (HDA).
As of December 2025 in NSW, 308 proposals amounting to more than 102,100 potential homes were declared State Significant through the HDA which was introduced in January 2025.
