YIMBY Melbourne declares war on upper-level setbacks, the planning rule that's ruining our city

More than two dozen architects and urban practitioners sign open letter to the Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny

Signatories include Kerstin Thompson AM (KTA), Dan McKenna (Nightingale Housing), Andrew Maynard (Austin Maynard), Jeremy McCleod (Breathe), as well as signatories from Milieu, Beca, and more.

Read the full open letter here.

Upper-level setbacks are environmentally destructive, expensive, and can cut housing supply by 20–70% per project

All of the research and practice demonstrates the negative impacts of upper-level setbacks as currently enforced by the Victorian planning system.

The impacts of upper-level setbacks include but are not limited to:

• Decreased thermal efficiency across the whole building
• Increased embodied carbon within the building
• Higher levels of defects, including timber-rot and mould
• Reduced streetscape interface and forgoing amenity and passive surveillance
• Reduced project viability and fewer, more expensive homes

Previous studies have demonstrated a loss of 20–70% of housing from projects due to upper level setback requirements.

Read our latest research: Upper-level Setbacks Delenda Est

The State Government has just released draft plans for ten Activity Centres across Melbourne. All of these Centres have upper-level setbacks codified within their plans, indicating that these terrible, destructive controls are currently slated to be a feature of the new Plan for Victoria.

This is unacceptable.

As part of our declaration of war on these conservative and outdated planning controls, YIMBY Melbourne has released our highest production value research document yet, Upper-level Setbacks Delenda Est.

Quotes attributable to Jonathan O'Brien, Lead Organiser, YIMBY Melbourne

"'Visual bulk' is a deeply unserious term that has not received the scrutiny it deserves. No one goes to the streets of Prague or Paris and complains about the visual bulk. It simply is not a real thing, and should not command the primacy within the planning system that it currently does."

"Upper-level setbacks are one of the clearest demonstrations that planning regulations lack clear oversight or scrutiny. They represent a very high cost—fewer, less sustainable homes—for very little benefit—a little less shadowing, or visual bulk, whatever that is."

"Melbourne is iconic for its alleyways. And yet the planning system outlaws building anything remotely like them ever again."

"Recently leaked ResCode changes are great—but they only apply to buildings up to three storeys. Meanwhile, six storey, Missing Middle builds are still subject to these same old, business–as-usual setback controls that make our city worse."