Media response - ResCode planning changes

Published on 31 March 2025

Enquiry from The Age

I am writing a story for The Age about the ResCode’s new deemed-to-comply standards coming into effect as of Monday, March 31. My story will include diagrams done by planner Stephen Rowley that have been shared to his website.

What do you make of these diagrams? Do you think this is an acceptable outcome for your residential areas? Why/why not?
Have you seen any modelling or visuals from the state to show what the deemed-to-comply outcomes will look like? Do you think this is important? (Why/why not?)
How much and in what ways do you think the new Rescode deemed-to-comply standards, coming into effect on Monday, will change your neighbourhoods? And how rapidly?
In the previously linked blog post, there is the following passage: A final change relates to council’s local variations to the Standards. Councils had previously been able to do strategic work to justify varying the state-wide Standards for certain ResCode requirements (which, once accepted by state government, were then specified through schedules to the zones). I have not seen a very clear statement about what is proposed to be done with these, but certainly many will be removed as they are no longer allowed for in the new code. My understanding – based on what I have been told, but which I have not spotted confirmed in writing – is that even those that are theoretically allowable are going to be removed unless they are more permissive than the new state-wide Standards.
Can you confirm what the council has been told by the state about what will occur to its local policies and schedules as of March 31?
Are you concerned that local context, policies and schedules will not be considered if a planning application meets deemed-to-comply standards? What will the impact of this be for residents?
Is this the biggest change out of all state planning reforms? Why?

Response

The new ResCode deemed to comply standards are a significant shift in how residential development is assessed. In Monash this change will be broad, and development will be different to what we have seen before.

When viewed alongside other changes impacting Monash such as the housing targets, Suburban Rail Loop Structure Planning, and the Activity Centres Program, Council understands that the intent is to create a more certain development environment to increase housing supply. Finding the balance between increasing and creating housing options and maintaining neighbourhood character is always challenging, and in Monash these standards provide short term immediate change alongside longer term projects like the Suburban Rail Loop Structure Planning process. Monash Council has supported growth in areas of our city that can support it, and we will continue to work with the Victorian Government and advocate for genuine local input into planning decisions for our community.

In Monash, variations to the zone schedules have helped shape growth in a way that respects the character of our neighbourhoods and aligns with community expectations. Some of these variations, such as front setbacks and private open space, have been in place for decades and were developed through extensive consultation. We acknowledge the Victorian Government’s broader vision for the Suburban Rail Loop and the benefits of a more consistent planning approach across Victoria. With so much change already underway in Monash as part of the SRL Structure Planning process, we had hoped to retain these variations while still meeting housing targets. And, we recognise the importance of creating a unified framework to support sustainable growth and development across the state.

Fact sheets and explanatory material have been published by the Victorian Government's Department of Transport and Planning on the changes, and Monash is looking forward to receiving further guidance to assist in their practical assessment. Visual models like this certainly do provide more context, and we are hopeful the department will provide similar in the near future.

Issued: 28 March

To: The Age

Quoting: Mayor Paul Klisaris