Choosing a Subdivision Layout

It is not always the best option to split a property down the middle. Part of undertaking a subdivision is to understand the best subdivision layout for your project. One of the key jobs of a town planner is to assist you with understanding how altering, changing or moving a boundary can save you a significant amount of money, time and cost.

There are a number of potential benefits of rethinking your project's layout. It may:

Allow You to Keep an Existing House

Each local government has different rules for minimum lot sizes, including rear lots. Some local governments allow 400m² rear allotments, meaning on an 800m² lot the existing house at the front can often be retained. This saves you a significant amount of money and reduces your risk incase you need to lease the home out during the process. Talking to your town planner about the subdivision layout is also important regarding whether services will need to be modified to allow the house to continue to function (ie. Access, sewer, water connections etc). Also, a town planner will assist in making sure the setbacks and built form characteristics of the house meet the minimum design standards for the planning scheme (ie. Setbacks, site cover etc).

Make Resale More Attractive

The shape and layout of new land you are creating can be important to buyers. Different land sizes allow for different new house builds and styles. In the example below, the client wanted to provide a narrow frontage option (which supported common 10m wide homes) and a wider 16m frontage option to appeal more to buyers looking for a custom build.

Reduce Operational Works & Costs

Sometimes, when you change the layout of a subdivision you can remove the requirement for complex operational works saving you time, cost and risk.

Remove Requirement for Underground Power

In Queensland, power is regulated by Energex. They have design standards that local governments must adhere to. For example, Energex will not allow a lot to be serviced by an overhead line to crosses the boundary of another property and they will require underground power which is expensive. Sometimes we can remove the requirement for underground power with an adjustment to subdivision layout.

Consider All Layout Options

Whilst not in all cases, with most subdivisions have two or three different potential layouts. One example is the project below. Two different layouts for the same site, with vastly different outcomes of the client. One option required the client to put more money into the project, but offered a much higher return. Make sure your town planner has discussed all the possible layouts with you and discussed what each layout will mean in terms of layout, infrastructure, time, cost and risk.