Great Design Fast Track
The “Great Design Fast Track” (VC280) is a new planning pathway that allows certain residential developments of 8 or more dwellings to be approved directly by the Minister for Planning.
Projects assessed as meeting designated “good design” standards, including review by the Office of the Victorian Government Architect, can be fast-tracked outside the normal council planning process.
Centralised decision-making
Under this system, decision-making power shifts away from local councils and into the hands of the Minister.
Even where developments are proposed within established neighbourhoods, councils have little to no role in determining the outcome. Their role is reduced to a submission during the fourteen day public notice period.
Planning rules can be overridden
A key feature of the fast-track pathway is its flexibility or, more accurately, its ability to override existing controls.
If a project is approved under this pathway, the Minister can:
- Allow building heights to exceed local limits. This includes mandatory heights in a commercial or residential zone.
- Reduce or remove setback requirements.
- Vary garden area and open space provisions.
- Override other planning controls and conditions.
In effect, developments can be approved that would not be permitted under standard planning rules.
Limited – or no – community rights
Community rights are significantly reduced.
In practice:
- Opportunities to object are limited or unclear
- There is no right to appeal decisions at VCAT
- Final decisions rest solely with the Minister
This removes a key layer of transparency and accountability from the planning process.
“Great design” or fast approval?
Without robust checks and balances, the designation risks becoming a mechanism for fast approvals rather than genuinely better outcomes. There are also concerns that standardised or repeatable development models may increasingly be approved across very different neighbourhoods, with limited ability for councils or communities to influence how projects respond to local context, character, streetscape or amenity.
An early example is on Whitehorse Road, Deepdene. A mandatory height in a commercial zone that backs onto homes will be exceeded. Council expressed concern about aspects of the design and did not consider it to be exemplary.
What this means for Melbourne
The “Great Design Fast Track” is part of a broader shift towards centralised, fast-tracked planning approvals across Victoria.
By allowing developments to bypass local controls and limiting community rights, it prioritises speed and flexibility over transparency, consistency, and local input.
The result is a system where developments can exceed established rules, with decisions made behind closed doors raising fundamental questions about fairness, accountability, and who planning is ultimately designed to serve.