New trial Granny Flat rules for Victoria

So it’s official. It’s not going to happen.
This is the email from the planning department. I asked if when they will review it again. Didn’t get a straight answer.


Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Secondary Dwelling pilot program.

The Secondary Dwelling Code was piloted in four councils over a trial period of seven months. The pilot officially concluded on 31 March 2021.

Through the pilot, occupants of secondary dwellings did not need to be dependent on the residents of the primary house. This was not something decided by each individual council but by the provision which was being piloted.

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has determined to give further consideration to a state-wide approach and investigate further options for planning reform in this space. In the interim, the Minister for Planning has decided it is appropriate to end the Pilot.

There are no plans to roll out secondary dwellings state-wide at this time. The DELWP website provides an update on the pilot and its findings.

If you are looking to provide additional forms of accommodation on your land, I would encourage you to get in touch with your local council’s planning department to determine what options are available at this time.

Thank you for your interest in the pilot and enjoy your week

 

Hi @samBH @craigc thanks for the info provided in this thread.
I am trying to find out the answer to this - I own a property in Melbourne (South eastern suburbs) and I’d like to build a small granny flat or DPU in the backyard for my parents (they’re currently on government pension and apart from the pension they’re completely dependent on me). I do not intend to receive any rent from them. I understand this is feasible as per current VIC laws.
My question is however - do I need to live in the main house myself? I can’t rent out the main house?

thank you for any advice!

 

They’ve been talking about this for years and years and years …. For some reason they just can’t get this very simple planning amendment sorted . Hopeless

 

Hi @euro73 - so do you mean I cannot rent out the main house?

 

The appropriate thing to do would be to speak with your council and see what their DPU guidelines are for that specific scenario. I'm not sure whether DPU's are limited to owner occupied dwellings or not...
Even if it is allowed, how do you intend to deal with water, gas, electrical, data bills if there is a tenant in the main dwelling ?