Victorian planning rules less restrictive than other Australian capitals
New research from YIMBY Melbourne indicates that Melbourne has the least restrictive planning zones among Australian capital cities. Proponents argue this permissive zoning has helped the city maintain better housing affordability compared to more restrictive capitals.
Why it matters
Urban planning policies are central to the ongoing debate regarding housing affordability and supply in major metropolitan areas.
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Share A A A Melbourne has the least restrictive planning zones of any Australian capital, new research shows, but development advocates say the city’s inner-eastern suburbs remain largely locked down.
Pro-development group YIMBY Melbourne released its Australian Zoning Atlas on Sunday, finding an average of 81 per cent of residential land within 20 kilometres of Australia’s capital city centres is “highly restricted” with heritage protections, two-storey height caps and low-density zones.
But in Melbourne, only 45 per cent is deemed highly restricted – which YIMBY organiser Jonathan O’Brien credited with helping make it one of the most affordable city housing markets in the country.
“If you want to solve the housing shortage, the first thing you have to do is make it legal to build housing,” O’Brien said.
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