Every Custom Home Building project will need to be designed in accordance with the relevant Planning Scheme Zone, Overlays and Schedules that apply to your Block of Land.  You can find out if your Custom Home needs a Planning permit and what is the relevant Planning Scheme Zone by

clicking here and you will be redirected to the Department of Sustainability and Environment webpage.  Scroll down the page and select 'I agree' and then download the Planning Property Report for your address.

This report will detail the Planning requirements that you will need to conform to and you will be able to work out whether or not you need to apply for a planning permit. First, we will look at:

Planning Scheme Zones:

Every block of land is subject a planning scheme zone and you can download the full list of possible zones here. You can download a sample of a Residential 1 zone here:

Broadly put, most homes are built in a ‘Residential 1’ zone and there may be specific requirements in that particular Council Zone to limit what and where you may build on your site.  While the Planning Schemes are enforced by Council, they are administered under State Law and for Custom Home Building it is imperative to check this before you get to far down the track with Concept Drawings.

The Zoning will then describe the conditions by which a planning permit will be required and mostly you will not require a Planning Permit if your Custom Home is the only home on the land.  The exceptions to this are when you have small blocks under 500m2 and to determine this we need to also refer to the Planning Zone Schedule (see below).

Residential 1 zones are generally consistent accross all Councils and the variations generally show up on the Schedules and Overlays.  A Residential 3 zone is usually more Council specific but in any event it is good practice to download a copy of the actual Planning Zone report to ensure that you are on the right track.

You can also check these at any time from this link.

Planning Scheme Overlays: 

An overlay is a set of Local Council requirements that ‘overlay’ the planning scheme zone.  There are numerous Overlays around Victoria and many of them can determine quite onerous and costly requirements that should be included in the Concept Design drawings for your Custom Home Building project. 

From your Planning Property Report you will be able to identify all the relevant Overlays that are pertinant to your block.  It is important to check for your block - preferably even before you buy it, so that there are no surprises as you commence your Custom Home design.

For example, as a result of the Black Saturday bushfires, Wildfire Management Overlays (WMO) are now being introduced to many urban areas in Victoria and can in many circumstances require detailed design and significant expense to ensure full regulatory compliance.  You can download a sample of a WMO here.  Consequently, it is very helpful to know this information early so that you can formulate a realistic budget and Concept Design.

If you downloaded the file, you can see that the interpretation of these overlays can be quite complex and why we recommend the engagement of relevant experts to ensure that your Custom Home will be designed and built in compliance.

Planning Scheme Schedules:

A schedule to a planning scheme zone will outline other specific requirements that Council have deemed necessary for your block of land. You can download a sample schedule to the Residential 1 zone here.

You will see from the sample that a schedule is always specific to a Council.  One of the key criteria to determine if a planning permit is required is shown at the top of the schedule in relation to the square meterage of your site.

In addition, these schedules are also referred to by the Victorian Building Regulations in that some Councils have made permanent amendments to Part IV of the Building Regulations and these amendments are listed in the planning scheme schedule in relation to Street Setbacks, building heights etc for your Custom Home. 

If these amendments are not designed in at concept stage then you will generally not be aware of it until you are at the end of the process and attempt to obtain a Building Permit as it will be refused if the design and siting of your Custom Home is in contravention of this schedule. 

This is an obscure nuance of the planning scheme but one that can cost you dearly if you don't clarify early.