If you’re weighing up a small apartment development in Melbourne, there’s a planning pathway many developers still overlook: Future Homes. It lets you build from a set of pre-approved, architect-designed three-storey apartment buildings and access a streamlined permit process that can be materially faster than a standard application. Amendment VC269 (gazetted 3 December 2024) refined how it works. As ARBV-registered architects (SQM Architects, Reg. No. 51498, ABN 32 600 928 390), we assess pathways like this for Melbourne developers — here’s the practical picture.
What is the Future Homes program?
Future Homes is a Victorian Government initiative that pairs a library of pre-approved apartment designs with a streamlined planning pathway. Instead of designing a three-storey apartment building from scratch and taking it through a full, contestable permit process, an eligible site can adopt a Future Homes “exemplar” design and apply through a faster track.
The attraction for developers is certainty and speed. A standard planning permit carries a statutory decision timeframe of 60 days — and in practice often longer once objections and a possible VCAT hearing are added. The Future Homes streamlined process is designed to deliver a decision in around half that time, and eligible applications are exempt from third-party (objector) review rights, so neighbours cannot appeal the decision to VCAT. Removing that appeal risk strips out one of the biggest sources of delay and uncertainty in medium-density approvals. (This is general information, not advice — eligibility and outcomes depend on your specific site.)
How Future Homes compares to other medium-density pathways
Future Homes is one of several accelerated pathways a Melbourne developer might use. The right one depends on your building type and site:
| Pathway | Best for | Third-party VCAT appeal | Indicative decision timeframe | Design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard planning permit | Any development | Yes — objectors can appeal | 60 days statutory (often longer) | Fully custom |
| Future Homes (Clause 53.24) | Three-storey apartments | No — exempt for eligible applications | Around half the standard 60 days | Pre-approved (4 exemplar designs) |
| Townhouse & Low-Rise Code | Townhouses & low-rise | Restricted where deemed-to-comply | Faster where the design meets the standards | Custom within deemed-to-comply standards |
(Indicative only — timeframes and eligibility depend on the application and your site.)
The pre-approved designs
The program offers a set of four “site-less” three-storey apartment building designs, prepared by selected architecture practices and intended to be adapted to suburban sites. Because the designs are pre-vetted for good design and amenity, assessment focuses on how the design fits your particular site rather than re-litigating the building itself.
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The designs are crafted around a typical footprint of roughly two side-by-side suburban lots — about 1,200 square metres in total — but they’re intended to be adaptable to a range of site sizes and shapes.
What Amendment VC269 changed
Amendment VC269 was gazetted on 3 December 2024 to improve the operation of the Future Homes provision (Clause 53.24 of Victorian planning schemes). The notable changes for developers include:
- Lower car parking: the mandatory rate was reduced to 0.6 spaces per dwelling (down from 1.0) — which can meaningfully change a site’s feasibility, since parking and the basement or driveway are often what constrain yield.
- Bicycle parking flexibility: provision can exceed the minimum requirement.
- Ventilation: “mechanically assisted ventilation” is recognised as a form of effective natural ventilation for the purposes of the provision.
A worked example from our team at SQM Architects: on an illustrative Future Homes building of 15 apartments, VC269’s 0.6-space rate calls for 9 car spaces — against 15 under the old 1.0 rate. On a tight suburban lot, six fewer spaces can be the difference between a single basement level and a deeper, costlier dig — or between a scheme that stacks up and one that doesn’t. In our experience advising on medium-density feasibility, the parking rate is often the line between a viable basement and an unviable one. (Illustrative figures only; confirm the current rate and your design’s space count.)
The reduced parking rate, in particular, is worth modelling early — it may unlock a workable layout on a site that wouldn’t stack up under the old one-space-per-dwelling assumption. (Treat the figures here as indicative and confirm the current provision before you rely on it.) For more on how parking rates affect feasibility, see our guide to the VC277 car parking reforms.
Is your site eligible?
Eligibility is driven more by location and zoning than by lot size. Under Clause 53.24, the Future Homes pathway has centred on land that is:
- in a General Residential Zone;
- within about 800 metres of an activity centre or a train station; and
- not affected by a Heritage Overlay or a Neighbourhood Character Overlay.
There is no mandatory minimum lot size, though the exemplar designs are built around roughly 1,200 square metres (about two standard side-by-side lots). Eligible applications are also pre-certified by referral authorities — a step the process expects to be completed within about three months — before the third-party exemptions apply. Criteria can change, so check your specific address against the current Clause 53.24 requirements rather than assume it qualifies. A quick desktop check of zone and overlays will usually tell you whether the pathway is realistic before you commit.
The cost and the process
Access isn’t free: it currently costs $15,000 to procure a Future Homes design package and the accompanying streamlined planning process. The designs are available to landholders, developers and social housing providers.
Timing matters — a planning application must be lodged within 12 months of purchasing the designs (an extension may be available from the department). So it’s worth confirming your site is genuinely eligible and your numbers work before you buy the package.
Is Future Homes right for your project?
Future Homes can be a strong fit if you have a suitable medium-density site, you’re comfortable building from a pre-approved design rather than a fully custom one, and the speed and appeal-exemption are valuable to your feasibility. It’s less suited to sites with unusual constraints, or to developers who want a fully custom, one-off architectural response for marketing or site-specific reasons. We’ve found the appeal exemption matters most on sites where a determined objector could otherwise add months at VCAT.
It also sits alongside other accelerated pathways — including the Great Design Fast Track and the deemed-to-comply provisions emerging through the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code — so the right pathway depends on your scale, site and design ambitions. For three-storey apartment design standards more broadly, see our guide to Clause 58 apartment design.
Frequently asked questions
Does Future Homes guarantee a permit?
No. It offers a faster, more certain pathway and removes third-party appeal rights for eligible applications, but the responsible authority still assesses the application against the provision and your site. It improves the odds and the timeline; it does not guarantee approval.
How long does a Future Homes planning permit take?
There is no fixed statutory clock unique to Future Homes, but the streamlined process is designed to deliver a decision in around half the standard 60 days. The larger saving usually comes from the exemption from third-party review — because neighbours cannot appeal an eligible decision to VCAT, you avoid the months a contested hearing can add.
Can I change the pre-approved design?
The designs are intended to be adapted to your site, but the more you depart from the exemplar, the more you risk falling outside the streamlined pathway. Much of the value is in staying close to the approved design.
Is Future Homes only for apartments?
The current exemplar designs are for three-storey apartment buildings. Developers focused on townhouses or dual occupancies may instead be looking at the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code’s deemed-to-comply pathway.
What did VC269 change about parking?
VC269 reduced the mandatory car parking requirement for Future Homes developments to 0.6 spaces per dwelling, down from 1.0 — which can improve the feasibility of a compliant layout.
Further reading: the Victorian Government’s Future Homes program page sets out the current exemplar designs, eligibility and streamlined process.
This article is general information for Victorian property developers and does not constitute professional advice. Planning provisions change; always confirm the current Future Homes criteria and consult a registered architect and qualified planning adviser for your specific site.
