The six orientation and siting rules in order of impact

Every Melbourne infill and greenfield build answers to the same order of siting decisions. Get the order right and the trade-offs resolve; get it wrong and you end up trying to fit a solar-optimised design onto a block that will not accept it.

• 1 - True-north alignment. Rotate the primary living zone within 20° of true north where the block allows.
• 2 - ResCode setbacks. Clauses 54 (single dwelling) and 55 (two or more dwellings) set front, side and rear minimums.
• 3 - Easements. Sewer, drainage and shared driveway easements are on title. You cannot build over them without an "encroachment" agreement.
• 4 - Tree protection. Vegetation Protection Overlay (VPO) and Significant Landscape Overlay (SLO) protect specific trees; council permits required to remove.
• 5 - Overshadowing test. Clause 54.04 requires you to preserve 5 hours of sun to the adjoining north-facing living windows between 9am and 3pm on 22 September.
• 6 - Overlooking screening. Clause 54.04-3 requires visual barriers where habitable rooms overlook a neighbour within 9m.

How ResCode setbacks actually work

ResCode is not a single number - it is a set of Standards and Objectives that a Building Surveyor and Planning department jointly assess. For a single detached dwelling: front setback usually matches the prevailing street setback (within 20%), side setbacks follow the "wall height / distance to boundary" table (a 3.6m high wall needs at least 1.6m setback), rear setback typically 3-5m depending on lot depth.

A design that fails one Standard does not automatically fail Planning - it must instead demonstrably meet the corresponding Objective. This is where "performance-based" ResCode arguments live, and where a good Building Designer or Architect earns their fee.

The six site-planning traps first-time Melbourne buyers miss

Every one of these has ended up in a Melbourne buyer's post-signing regret column.

• 1 - Sewer easement running diagonally across the north garden - blocks primary north-facing living orientation.
• 2 - Battle-axe block with narrow leg needing shared driveway - loses 3-4m of side setback.
• 3 - Neighbouring double-storey on the north - blocks winter solar for the primary living zone.
• 4 - Protected eucalypt (VPO) in the north garden - cannot be removed to place primary living zone north.
• 5 - Front-yard heritage-overlay bay-window facade required (HO) - constrains the north-facing living to the rear.
• 6 - Overland flow path from council drainage plan - dictates finished floor level 300-600mm above natural ground.