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This is a difficult question to answer. There are no set rules across the board but there are Council constraints that will determine the rules that apply to your particular development.  The shape, orientation and slope of your property and any other specific features that may affect development on your proposed site, must be determined.  There are many other factors which must be taken into consideration which will influence the number of units you can fit on to your property, some of which we have already mentioned.  These can include;

• The required Setback distances from bordering property boundaries
• The required Setback distance from the street frontage
• The number of bedrooms being constructed will impact on the number of car parks required
• Vehicle access, including turning areas and driveways
• Building height proposed taking into account adjoining and neighbouring building heights
• The minimum private open space areas required for each unit
• The minimum site and space coverage areas needed for your property
• Energy efficient design with good northern solar access to windows
• The impact on neighbouring properties including overlooking, overshadowing and large building bulk and scale

Remember, local Councils will have their own policies and controls for development in their own specific areas and these will ultimately determine the number of units allowed on your property.  I recommend you engage the services of a professional town planning consultant who will take all of the above factors into consideration before advising how many units could be constructed on your property, however below is my own rule of thumb formula for making quick assessments.

My general formula for assessing the amount of units

Always refer to your local Council planning policies.  You will find most suburban areas in Melbourne work with an approximate allowance of 250m2 as the minimum allowance per dwelling, however, as I have already mentioned, all Councils and properties are different.  You must address each on their own merit; some areas have a minimum land requirement of 2500m2 for development.  You should take the time to search these things out and find out what you need before you purchase land.  When you find a site you like and think it may work for you, take the time to look at the title and speak with your local Council to obtain further information relating to the property itself; they will tell you the minimum site allowance for each dwelling.  You can also look Council websites which have this information for free. Once you have ascertained the minimum size requirement from Council then it’s time to look for land suitable to achieve your desired amount of dwellings.  If you are looking to complete a 3-unit development and the minimum requirement is 250m2 per dwelling, then a site of 750m2 plus, will suit.  Again, to reiterate, there are many factors to take into account.