Great Design Fast Track (GDTF) Good Design Principles

Our team recently attended the Great Design Fast Track (GDFT) industry briefing where the Department of Transport and Planning presented their new planning pathway. The GDTF is a new, streamlined planning approval pathway, based on seven principles of good design. The pathway has been developed based on Victoria’s growing population resulting in the need to build more homes in our cities, towns, and regions, including housing in established urban areas that are located near transport and services.

The pathway is designed to deliver medium-density housing (up to 8 levels) that prioritises amenity, sustainability, and wellbeing. It is designed to promote streamlined approvals paired with greater expectations for design quality, flexible, context-driven outcomes (e.g. setbacks, height considerations) rather than prescriptive rules, and a clear recognition that poor housing design carries real costs – to society, health, and the economy.

At its core, the GDFT embeds sustainability with an average 8 Star NatHERS rating (no dwelling below 6.5 stars), excellent daylight and ventilation standards benchmarked against BESS, with scope for additional measures such as Upfront Carbon Emissions quantification (via the NABERS Embodied Carbon tool) and grid responsiveness initiatives.

As strong advocates for good design that promotes health, wellbeing, and exceptional sustainability outcomes, we are eager to see how this pathway unfolds – and whether it can set a new benchmark for housing delivery in Victoria that balances speed with quality, and supply growth with resilience. We look forward to working with our clients and partners to support them in embedding the GDFT good design principles within their residential individual projects and wider portfolios.

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