‘Tick-box’ apartment standards stifle housing solutions, award-winning developer warns

Developers with a track record of architectural excellence are calling to be freed from strict rules governing apartment design, saying it would help Melbourne successfully adopt more high-density living.

The directors of award-winning developer Neometro want the Victorian government to be more flexible with their “tick box” approach to building approvals, or risk stifling innovative solutions to the housing crisis.

Neometro directors Lochlan Sinclair and James Tutton say award-winning developers should be given more freedom in designing their apartments.Credit: Justin McManus

James Tutton and Lochlan Sinclair said the Better Apartments Design Standards mean that unconventional plans – like their boutique “lofts”, similar to warehouse conversions – struggle to meet definitions for approval.

“But are they necessarily bad spaces? No, they’re amazing spaces,” Sinclair said.

“There needs to be freedom for those who know what they’re doing and have that pedigree – and the right intention – to offer a lot more variety of apartment types.

“If apartment living is going to be for everyone, it needs to be a broad church.”

Inside a Neometro townhouse development on Martin Street, Thornbury that has won design awards.

Neometro describes itself as Melbourne’s oldest “design-focused and socially led” developer and recently released a book to celebrate its 40th birthday, spruiking projects like a townhouse in Thornbury that won a silver medal at the World Design Awards this year.

The Better Apartment Design Standards were first introduced in 2017 amid concerns that many Victorian apartments were small, dark, poorly insulated and badly built.

A parliamentary inquiry has recommended further reform, but Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has said an update would only occur next year – four years after the committee’s report.

Sinclair stressed that Neometro believed the regulations were good for raising the lowest common denominator in apartment design, but wanted tweaks to allow for creative housing solutions.

Neometro directors Lochlan Sinclair and James Tutton.Credit: Justin McManus

“I totally understand that the purpose of regulation is to increase the quality across the board, but if not used with consideration, it can equally stifle innovation and the ability to offer different things,” he said.

“We’ve got a housing challenge, and that’s going to require innovation on a number of levels, including design.”

Sinclair appreciated that the state government had unveiled a new Great Design Fast Track pathway last year, under which it would take over planning controls for townhouses and apartments that it deems to be of good design to slash approval times and encourage more “affordable architectural heritage”.

But while supportive of that reform, Sinclair said Neometro was still not confident to invest under that pathway as it remained untested.

He said rewards for architectural excellence needed to be spread throughout the planning system, not just through this specialised, exceptional program.

“It’s in its infancy, but that work needs to continue to take that level of expertise all the way through to local councils,” Sinclair said.

Tutton said Neometro’s longevity was tied to medium-density apartment and townhouse developments that prioritised physical and mental health with adequate lighting, walkability, airflow and open spaces that try to foster a community.

He admitted they were not great examples of affordability, as many were built in coveted suburbs like Brunswick. Online listings show many cost millions of dollars.

But Sinclair said more flexible design standards could still boost affordability by allowing for greater housing variety, encouraging more innovative, cheaper duplexes, for example.

The directors said slow council approvals continued to hurt housing costs, despite recent Victorian planning reforms to boost density and which have drawn local government ire.

Still, Tutton believes Melbourne is “catching up with the rest of the world” in increasingly adopting apartment living.

“I think the greater knowledge around apartment design from a consumer perspective will push the market in a really positive direction,” he said.

A state government spokesperson said Victoria built and approved thousands more homes than any other state.

“But there is more to do,” they said. “That’s why we’ve introduced bold reforms to boost housing supply – including new pathways to fast-track housing developments, building more homes close to trains and trams, slashing stamp duty for off-the-plan apartments and townhouses, and streamlining townhouse approvals.

“Under the Liberals, there were no minimum design standards – which resulted in the Liberals approving poor quality homes with no regard for who lived in them.”

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