ResidentialHudson FarrFri 16 Oct 26
Victoria Loosens Planning Rules to Allow Bigger Small Second Homes
Victoria has relaxed planning rules for small second homes, allowing homes up to 80sq m under the revised definition and scrapping a requirement to meet safety and accessibility standards.
The amendment also clarifies how floor area is measured. More of these homes will be exempt from needing a permit.
The changes build on a 2023 amendment which introduced the small second dwellings provisions and a permit exemption for movable units delivered by or for the Homes Victoria chief executive.
A general exemption covers movable buildings that a community service uses to provide temporary accommodation on a non-profit basis.
The use exemption does not apply in the Urban Floodway Zone and the construction exemption does not apply in designated bushfire prone areas.
Movable units and movable buildings need a permit in five overlays: Erosion Management, Floodway, Land Subject to Inundation, Special Building and Bushfire Management.
The amendment follows Victoria’s Housing Statement, announced in 2023, which sets a plan to build 800,000 homes over the next decade.
The report says the state’s population is expected to reach 10.3 million by 2051, requiring 1.3 million additional homes.
The report says the changes will reduce regulatory burden for applicants and councils, and that the impact on council administrative costs will be negligible.
It also says no agencies were consulted in preparing the amendment.
