Our Bayside Projects
Real projects, real sites, across the City of Bayside.
Dual Occupancy
Hampton East · City of Bayside
2 dwellings · 700 m² site
Planning permit approved
View project →
Dual Occupancy
Highett · City of Bayside
2 dwellings · 619 m² site
Planning permit approved
View project →
Heritage Residence
Sandringham · City of Bayside
Heritage home · 700 m² site
Refused by Council, approved at VCAT
View project →
How We Work in Bayside
Designed for the street. Built for how you live.
Bayside is mostly established streets with strong neighbourhood character, heritage pockets and plenty of mature trees. A good design here starts with the site and the street, then fits the brief inside what Council looks for, so the application moves through with fewer surprises.
We check the zone, overlays and character guidelines before we draw, then take the project from concept and 3D visualisation through to planning and building permit documentation. We prepare and lodge the applications; Council and your building surveyor issue the permits.
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Planning to build or extend in Bayside?
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Book a free consultationSandringham: refused by Council, approved at VCAT
A heritage home in the first row facing the bay, a short walk from Sandringham Yacht Club, the beach and the village. Council refused the application on heritage grounds and overdevelopment; VCAT set that decision aside and granted the permit.
- Heritage front kept on the street; rear replaced with an ultra-modern home over four levels
- The Tribunal found the new work is clearly set apart from the heritage front and fits well within the street
- Rooftop terrace with 360-degree bay views, a pool, and a lift to all four levels
Project facts
Hampton East: approved beyond the standard setbacks
Applied in full, Bayside’s side setback requirements would have prevented a workable double-storey design on this site. We made the case for reduced setbacks, and Council approved encroachment on both sides.
- Planning permit in about three and a half months
- Two homes, each with a domestic lift and a plunge pool
- Designed for a developer client
Project facts
Highett: full site coverage, boundary to boundary
The brief was to maximise the site while protecting established neighbouring trees. Council approved the full building footprint, including construction from boundary to boundary.
- Cantilevered slab over tree roots, delivered under arborist supervision
- Two homes designed for multi-generational living
- Four bedrooms, two master suites and two living zones in each home
Project facts
Local Rules, Considered Design
Planning in Bayside
The short version. Open any section for detail and sources. Every site is different, so we check yours before design starts.
Council says about 83% of Bayside is in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, one of the highest proportions of any Victorian municipality. The zone is designed for minimal growth, with a mandatory two-storey height limit.
Source: Bayside City Council, Defining character in growth areas
Neighbourhood character carries real weight in Bayside, and Council is defining preferred character for its growth areas. Setbacks, roof form, front fences and landscaping are usually where a design wins or loses support, so we design to the street from the first sketch.
Source: Bayside City Council, Defining character in growth areas
Heritage in Bayside is protected through the Heritage Overlay, which can cover individual buildings, precincts, trees and structures. Council’s heritage work goes back to the City of Brighton study (1986) and City of Sandringham study (1989), with later reviews of inter-war and post-war places. If your property is in the overlay, additions need to respect what makes the place significant.
In the Neighbourhood and General Residential Zones, a minimum garden area applies when you build or extend a dwelling:
| Lot area | Minimum garden area |
|---|---|
| 400 to 500 m² | 25% |
| Over 500 to 650 m² | 30% |
| Over 650 m² | 35% |
Source: Department of Transport and Planning, Planning Practice Note 84 (updated May 2024)
Victoria rewrote ResCode in 2025. The new standards are “deemed to comply”: if a design meets them, Council must accept that part of the design. For most homeowners this means more certainty and, in many cases, more usable space.
Townhouses and dual occupancy (Clause 55, Amendment VC267, March 2025)
- Street setback reduced: the smaller of the neighbouring setbacks, to a maximum of 6 m (previously up to 9 m)
- Site coverage now set by zone: 60% in the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, 65% in the General Residential Zone
- Ground-level private open space reduced from 40 m² to 25 m²
- New tree canopy requirement of 10% of the site (sites up to 1,000 m²)
- Applies up to three storeys; if all standards are met, objectors have no right of appeal to VCAT
Single homes (Clause 54, Amendment VC282, 8 September 2025)
- Deemed-to-comply standards for a single dwelling or small second dwelling on a lot under 300 m²
- New standards protect neighbours’ rooftop solar and daylight to existing windows
Two homes on a lot through VicSmart (Amendment VC288, October 2025)
- A two-dwelling proposal that meets the required standards can be assessed in 10 business days, without notice to neighbours
- Overlays such as heritage or flooding can make a site ineligible, which is common in Bayside
Sources: DTP, New Townhouse and Low-Rise Code; DTP, Single homes and small second homes (VC282); DTP, Faster approvals for two homes on a lot (VC288)
Bayside FAQs
Yes. Two or more dwellings on a lot in a residential zone need a planning permit, assessed under Clause 55. Since VC288 (October 2025), a two-dwelling proposal that meets the required Clause 55 standards can go through VicSmart, which sets a 10 business day assessment timeframe; overlays such as heritage or flooding can make a site ineligible. Larger developments go through the standard permit process. We prepare the drawings and reports and lodge the application with Bayside City Council for you.
A free Planning Property Report from VicPlan lists the zone and every overlay on your lot. We check this as part of our free site investigation, before any design work begins.
If Council advertises the application, neighbours can make an objection. VicSmart applications are not advertised, neighbours are not notified, and objectors have no right of review at VCAT. If a proposal does not qualify for VicSmart, it goes through the standard permit process, where it may be advertised. For two or more dwellings under the Townhouse and Low-Rise Code, if the design meets all the applicable standards there is no objector right of appeal to VCAT, which is why we aim to meet them from the start.
All of them: Brighton, Brighton East, Hampton, Hampton East, Sandringham, Highett, Cheltenham, Black Rock and Beaumaris. See Areas We Work In for the rest of Melbourne and regional Victoria.
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