Apartment design rules worsen housing affordability

The Residential Development Council has given National context to the debate about introducing new apartment design standards in Victoria that are similar to SEPP65 in NSW. The RDC has been vocal in the press to ensure any reforms take into account the impact of SEPP65 in New South Wales.

The major issues in NSW are:

• The original intent of the SEPP65 rules was to improve apartment design and amenity – instead it has become an onerous policy that reduces housing affordability because time delays and red tape have pushed up house prices for consumers.
• The rules have not kept up to date with emerging and innovative building practices and local governments have been caught-out applying standards over and above those outlined in the policies.

The RDC is meeting with staff from the office of Victorian Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy, later this week when we will accompany the Property Council’s Victorian Division to provide evidence of the impact on affordability using data from our RDC members in NSW.