Future Homes is a partnership project between DELWP, the Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) and Maribyrnong City Council. The project developed four apartment designs which can be purchased and adapted to suit individual needs, different site context and conditions. Under a two-year pilot program in the City of Maribyrnong, a streamlined planning process is available for eligible sites that use a Future Homes Design. The new planning provisions were introduced to the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme through Amendment VC224.
Each Future Homes design shares several design elements including plenty of natural light, effective natural ventilation, improved accessibility features, minimum 6.5 star NatHERS rating for any individual apartment, generous communal and private open space, and facilities that support sustainable active transport. Design intent plans are concept plans available for free to give a sense of the look and feel of the apartments.
Future Homes plans cost $15,000 (excluding GST) which includes a packages of architectural designs (full list of inclusions can be found here) and access to the streamlined planning process. An overview of the streamlined planning process can be found here, and here. To utilise the streamlined planning process, in addition to being located in in the City of Maribyrnong, the site must meet a number of eligibility criteria in relation to amenities, zoning and overlays – details about the eligibility criteria can be found here.
New partnerships with other councils are being explored, which are expected to be announced in 2023.
