Master Builders Victoria has provided its submission to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) on its discussion paper detailing the proposed new external amenity standards for apartments. This is in addition to the regular engagement Master Builders has had with DEWLP throughout the past year.

A copy of the submission can be accessed here.

Master Builders remains a strong proponent of improving the quality of the built environment. Nevertheless, we have identified key areas of concern among the draft standards and have addressed this in our submission. These include: the current requirements for tree canopy cover is appropriate and any increase in its requirements will compromise medium-to-high density builds, and communal open space requirements should include a combination of outdoor and indoor spaces and have the flexibility to consider external amenities.

DEWLP has noted that the standards will not be in effect until the second half of 2020. Considering the current difficult economic circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we noted that the introduction of the new standards be postponed until economic conditions have noticeably improved.