- Neighbourhood Residential Zone: up to 9 m high and 2 storeys.
- Neighbourhood Residential Zone: front setback 4 m, side 1 m and site cover 60%.
- General Residential Zone: up to 11 m high and 3 storeys.
- General Residential Zone: front setback 4 m, side 1 m and site cover 65%.
- Residential Growth Zone: up to 13.5 m high and 6 storeys.
- Residential Growth Zone: front setback 4 m, side 1 m and site cover 70%.
- A sample brief on 15 Watsons Road, Glen Waverley (dual occupancy or duplex, 2 storeys) holds 16 numbers from the rules; 4 more are Not on file.
What a Design Brief holds
For one lot and what you are designing (a house, a pair, townhouses, apartments, a granny flat), the brief lists the numbers the zone sets: site and homes, height and site cover, setbacks, open space and landscape and parking and access. Each is cited to its clause, and the buildable envelope is drawn on the real lot in plan and in 3D.
15 credits a brief. The same block and kind again within 30 days opens free.
Zone parameters in Melbourne
| Zone | Smallest new lot (a house) | Frontage | Height | Storeys | Front setback | Side setback | Site cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood Residential Zone | Not on file | Not on file | 9 m | 2 | 4 m | 1 m | 60% |
| General Residential Zone | Not on file | Not on file | 11 m | 3 | 4 m | 1 m | 65% |
| Residential Growth Zone | Not on file | Not on file | 13.5 m | 6 | 4 m | 1 m | 70% |
Rules read on 23 October 2026: VPP VC319 (2026-10-22); Clause 55 VC267 (2025-03-31), VC315 (2026-09-24); Clause 57 VC300 (2026-04-16); Clause 52.06 VC277 (2025-12-18), VC311 (2026-06-09). Clauses: VPP-32.09-11 clause 32.09-11; VPP-55.02-1 Clause 55 standard B2-1; VPP-55.02-5 Clause 55 standard B2-5; VPP-55.02-3 Clause 55 standard B2-3; VPP-32.08-11 clause 32.08-11; VPP-32.07-10 clause 32.07-10; VPP-57 Clauses 55 and 57.
A sample brief: 15 Watsons Road, Glen Waverley
Dual occupancy or duplex, 2 storeys, on the General Residential Zone lot GoSiteHunt uses as the VIC public example.
| Item | Number | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum site area for each home | No limit set | Clause 56; clause 32.09-3 |
| Minimum frontage | No limit set | Clause 56; clause 32.09-3 |
| Assessment path (indicative) | A council permit; objectors can't appeal if every standard is met | Victoria Planning Provisions Clause 55 |
| Site coverage | 65% at most | Clause 55 standard B2-5 |
| Building height in storeys | 3 storeys at most | clause 32.08-11 |
| Building height in metres | 11 m at most | clause 32.08-11 |
| Front setback | 4 m at least | Clause 55 standard B2-1 |
| Porch or verandah in the front setback | up to 2.5 m forward | Clause 55 standard B2-1 |
| Side street setback (corner blocks) | 2 m at least | Clause 55 standard B2-1 |
| Side setback, ground floor | 1 m at least | Clause 55 standard B2-3 |
| Side setback, upper floor | 1.72 m for a 6 m wall | Clause 55 standard B2-3 |
| Rear setback, ground floor | 1 m at least | Clause 55 standard B2-3 |
| Rear setback, upper floor | 1.72 m at least | Clause 55 standard B2-3 |
| Walls between the new homes | wall to wall, on the line between them | Clause 55 standard B2-4 |
| Private open space (each home) | 25 m² at least | Clause 55 standard B3-5 |
| Garden area | 35% of the lot (257.4 m² here) | clause 32.08-4 |
4 more items are Not on file for this lot and kind: the brief says so, item by item.
Make a Design Brief What can be built in Melbourne
Questions
- What setbacks apply in Melbourne?
- In the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, the front setback is 4 m and the side setback 1 m, by the rule pack. A brief gives the numbers for your own lot.
Last updated: 14 November 2026. Guide only. Confirm all results with a council planner before you rely on them.