The creation of a subdivision is the creation of a community. It commences with a relatively blank canvas, setting up the life of the community that will extend over hundreds of years. The initial subdivision design presents an enormous opportunity to get the fundamentals right.
The long-term nature of subdivision planning is set against the backdrop of our climate fundamentally changing. By 2070, for example, temperature increases of between 1.5 and 3 degrees are expected. It is therefore critical to take a long-term view and consider the impact of climate change over the entire life of the subdivision.
Sustainable subdivisions are carefully planned to achieve improved quality of life, protect and use resources efficiently and improve the health of the environment and people. Crucially, sustainability needs to be embedded from the beginning of the subdivision process.
In 2019, 16 partner councils, the VPA and CASBE partnered to develop a Sustainable Subdivisions Framework focusing on improving the long-term community benefits delivered by a subdivision through the planning process.
The Sustainable Subdivisions Framework (SSF) is a framework that seeks to provide statutory planners with a basis for measuring and achieving stronger sustainability outcomes in residential subdivisions, while also providing information on how sustainability interventions can be integrated into residential subdivisions.
The SSF identifies seven categories that can assist in creating sustainable subdivisions:
The seven (7) categories include:
A further fact sheet has been developed which provides an overview of the SSF and the expectations of applicants.
Please go to our resources page for more information.
The SSF was launched on 2 September 2020. You can watch the launch webinar here.
For information about the SSF, contact the CASBE team at casbe@mav.asn.au.
This project was supported by the Victorian Government’s Collaborative Council Sustainability Fund Partnership Program.
The Victorian Planning Authority were a supporting partner on the initial project to develop the SSF.
HIP V. HYPE and Spiire were engaged to develop the Sustainable Subdivisions Framework and support materials.
From October 2020, councils across Victoria participated in a 24 month voluntary trial of the Sustainable Subdivisions Framework (SSF). The trial has now entered its second phase and continues to be trialled across Victoria.
Through this process council statutory planners from participating councils are inviting subdivision planning applicants to assess their project against the SSF.
The purpose of this trial is to understand the impact of using the SSF for the assessment of subdivision applications.
Specifically, we are seeking to:
Thirty-one Victorian councils were involved in the 24 month trial.
At the conclusion of each reporting period, de-identified qualitative and quantitative data was aggregated and analysed by CASBE. The SSF Governance Board and Technical Reference Panel provided expert input from councils, industry, and academia in response to the outcomes of the reported data.
The evaluation assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of the processes, resources, and the impact of the SSF in delivering sustainable communities.
The first reporting period (after the first 6-months) found that while there was some success, internal council resourcing for the trial was a challenge and represented a barrier to some councils in fully participating in the trial. However, the report also found that there is no one-size-fits all measure of success for Councils, with capacity building as well as outcomes considered a measure of success. A lack of clarity regarding application requirements and the voluntary nature were cited as barriers to developer participation.
Key recommendations from the report included:
The 12-month report recognised the need to seeking funding for dedicated human resources to implement the SSF.
For more information, refer to the SSF 6 month interim report – Key Findings and Recommendations and the SSF 12 month interim report – Key Findings and Recommendations.