The Legislative Council of Victoria has put together a select committee to investigate a portion of the current Government's ongoing planning reforms.
Specifically, they are looking into three reforms laid out below:
Specifically, they are looking into three reforms laid out below:
Amendment
Impact
VC257
Introduces the Built Form Overlay (BFO) to allow more housing within activity centres well serviced by public transport.
Introduces the Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) to allow medium-density housing within walking distance of public transport.
Introduces the Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) to allow medium-density housing within walking distance of public transport.
VC274
Introduces the Precinct Zone (PRZ) to provide the controls to upzone in key precincts such as the Suburban Rail Loop precincts.
VC267
Simplifies planning controls to make it easier to build townhouses and low-rise apartments up to 3 storeys.
YIMBY Melbourne makes our stance abundantly clear: these reforms are a fantastic step forward for delivering more diverse housing choices for all Victorians.
We are now calling on our members and the broader Victorian community to make their voices heard, and submit to the Inquiry in favour of the current and ongoing reforms.
We are now calling on our members and the broader Victorian community to make their voices heard, and submit to the Inquiry in favour of the current and ongoing reforms.
What the inquiry is asking
The inquiry has been set up by the Victorian upper house to investigate a simple query:
whether the amendments to the Victoria Planning Provisions made through VC257, VC274 and VC267 give proper effect to the objectives of planning in Victoria, and the objectives of the planning framework, as set out in section 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
whether the amendments to the Victoria Planning Provisions made through VC257, VC274 and VC267 give proper effect to the objectives of planning in Victoria, and the objectives of the planning framework, as set out in section 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987.
What a good submission looks like
Your submission should tell a story
Your submission can be a couple paragraphs or a couple pages—but the most important thing is to tell your story. Are you struggling to rent? Are you looking to buy a home soon, and can't find the option that suits you, in the place where you want to live?
How would more housing benefit you and the people you care about?
The weight of personal experience is key for inquiries like these, which are awash with dorks (like us at YIMBY Melbourne!) laying out the clear-eyed evidence for reform.
That said—if you want to go full wonk, go for it. Just make sure to link it with the objectives of the Planning and Environment Act.
How would more housing benefit you and the people you care about?
The weight of personal experience is key for inquiries like these, which are awash with dorks (like us at YIMBY Melbourne!) laying out the clear-eyed evidence for reform.
That said—if you want to go full wonk, go for it. Just make sure to link it with the objectives of the Planning and Environment Act.
Your submission can draw on evidence
This inquiry looks to determine whether the reforms in question are compliant with the objectives of Victorian planning.
It's worth noting that the Planning and Environment Act lays out more than 20 objectives for Victorian planning. You can read them all here, but the most important ones for this inquiry are laid out at the bottom of this page.
To be clear: these reforms absolutely achieve the goals of the Act.
Your submission needs to talk about how amendments (listed above) help achieve the objectives of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page for some suggested framing.
It's worth noting that the Planning and Environment Act lays out more than 20 objectives for Victorian planning. You can read them all here, but the most important ones for this inquiry are laid out at the bottom of this page.
To be clear: these reforms absolutely achieve the goals of the Act.
Your submission needs to talk about how amendments (listed above) help achieve the objectives of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. You can scroll down to the bottom of the page for some suggested framing.
Example submissions
Example 01: Short, personal and addresses the need for housing affordability
As a lifelong renter I’ve been at the frontlines of Victoria’s housing shortage.
The lack of diverse housing choices in my area means I was forced to rent a two-bedroom attached dwelling as at the time of my rental search there were no single bedroom options available in my area. This has forced me to pay for a more expensive rental than I wanted and as a result substantially increased my cost of living.
The Victorian Government’s new housing policies will enable more housing choices, such as townhouses and low-rise apartments, in my area, allowing me and other rents greater access to affordable housing options. This isn’t just an opinion, these policies are backed by a strong evidence base.
A key objective of the Planning and Environment Act is “to facilitate the provision of affordable housing in Victoria”, it’s clear that the Act has failed at this over the past few decades. The Government's recent reforms are a step in the right direction to fix abject failure. Please do not undo this good work and end any chance of fixing this crisis.
Thank you for spending the time to listen to my concerns.
The lack of diverse housing choices in my area means I was forced to rent a two-bedroom attached dwelling as at the time of my rental search there were no single bedroom options available in my area. This has forced me to pay for a more expensive rental than I wanted and as a result substantially increased my cost of living.
The Victorian Government’s new housing policies will enable more housing choices, such as townhouses and low-rise apartments, in my area, allowing me and other rents greater access to affordable housing options. This isn’t just an opinion, these policies are backed by a strong evidence base.
A key objective of the Planning and Environment Act is “to facilitate the provision of affordable housing in Victoria”, it’s clear that the Act has failed at this over the past few decades. The Government's recent reforms are a step in the right direction to fix abject failure. Please do not undo this good work and end any chance of fixing this crisis.
Thank you for spending the time to listen to my concerns.
Example 02: Longer and addresses PEA objectives more directly
This submission supports the retention of amendments VC257, VC267, and VC274.
These reforms are a long-overdue reassessment of Victoria's planning framework, bringing it into alignment with our current social, economic, and environmental realities.
These realities are dire. The median price of a Melbourne home, exceeding 1 million in 2022, is more than 10 times the median household income, doubling over the last 25 years. Melbourne's housing crisis is a crisis of failing to build: many areas closest to the city's economic centre have been the slowest to grow, indeed in many of these places, deaths are now outstripping births.
As schools become underutilised in Melbourne's low-density inner suburbs, particularly to the South East, young workers and families are pushed out to underserved greenfields developments in the outer suburbs. This imposes drastic costs on their access to amenity and infrastructure, our city's economic productivity by undermining economic agglomeration effects, and the environment, through long car commutes and encroachment on green wedges.
An objective of planning in Victoria, as established by the Planning and Environment Act 1987, is to 'facilitate the provision of affordable housing in Victoria', as is to 'balance the present and future interests of all Victorians'. The planning framework established by this act has grossly failed in this objective, preventing rather than encouraging the densification of Melbourne's inner suburbs.
The amendments subject to this inquiry are an important first step to realigning Victoria's planning framework with its stated objectives.
Firstly, VC257 and VC274 have enacted new zones such as the Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) and Precinct Zone (PRZ), which will enable transit-oriented development in inner-Melbourne areas that are best-served by our existing infrastructure.
Secondly, VC267 provides gentle density by enabling 3-storey townhouses to be built with more certainty elsewhere. Decision processes that defer only to the loudest segment of local homeowners at the expense of broader demographic and generational interests cannot plausibly claim to balance present and future needs. A more predictable, rules-based planning framework that has been designed to be mindful of the needs of all Melburnians is sorely needed to rebalance these interests.
The amendments VC257, VC267, and VC274 will enable much-needed housing capacity in Melbourne’s missing middle, and are a meaningful effort towards curbing our city’s housing crisis. They are wholly necessary to reform our planning framework and bring it in-line with its objectives.
Thank you for your time.
These reforms are a long-overdue reassessment of Victoria's planning framework, bringing it into alignment with our current social, economic, and environmental realities.
These realities are dire. The median price of a Melbourne home, exceeding 1 million in 2022, is more than 10 times the median household income, doubling over the last 25 years. Melbourne's housing crisis is a crisis of failing to build: many areas closest to the city's economic centre have been the slowest to grow, indeed in many of these places, deaths are now outstripping births.
As schools become underutilised in Melbourne's low-density inner suburbs, particularly to the South East, young workers and families are pushed out to underserved greenfields developments in the outer suburbs. This imposes drastic costs on their access to amenity and infrastructure, our city's economic productivity by undermining economic agglomeration effects, and the environment, through long car commutes and encroachment on green wedges.
An objective of planning in Victoria, as established by the Planning and Environment Act 1987, is to 'facilitate the provision of affordable housing in Victoria', as is to 'balance the present and future interests of all Victorians'. The planning framework established by this act has grossly failed in this objective, preventing rather than encouraging the densification of Melbourne's inner suburbs.
The amendments subject to this inquiry are an important first step to realigning Victoria's planning framework with its stated objectives.
Firstly, VC257 and VC274 have enacted new zones such as the Housing Choice and Transport Zone (HCTZ) and Precinct Zone (PRZ), which will enable transit-oriented development in inner-Melbourne areas that are best-served by our existing infrastructure.
Secondly, VC267 provides gentle density by enabling 3-storey townhouses to be built with more certainty elsewhere. Decision processes that defer only to the loudest segment of local homeowners at the expense of broader demographic and generational interests cannot plausibly claim to balance present and future needs. A more predictable, rules-based planning framework that has been designed to be mindful of the needs of all Melburnians is sorely needed to rebalance these interests.
The amendments VC257, VC267, and VC274 will enable much-needed housing capacity in Melbourne’s missing middle, and are a meaningful effort towards curbing our city’s housing crisis. They are wholly necessary to reform our planning framework and bring it in-line with its objectives.
Thank you for your time.