TECHNICAL

Livable housing inclusions to the 2022 NCC

Tony Bugeja Senior Advisor – Technical

It is human nature to have different views and opinions on life and our surroundings. It is what makes each of us unique. It is no different when we look at the design of our homes. The difference often comes down to what we can afford. Liveability is primarily based on our wants and needs. Some people want modern luxury features such as larger living areas for their family, split level, or elevated designs to accommodate the site conditions. For others, a house needs to be designed to fit our needs as we age; for some, a roof over our heads or a place we can call home. Over the past 18 months, it has been a key driver to the recovery of the Victorian economy from the impacts of COVID-19. This is one of the primary reasons why Master Builders Victoria (MBV) continues to advocate that housing affordability needs to be one of the government’s key priorities. As the primary industry representative for building and construction, we recognise that our industry is evolving and must continue to ensure the built environment supports the needs of Victorians. MBV has, and will continue to play, a pivotal role in its collaboration with the government to ensure its policies benefit our industry and the community. The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has recently drafted some significant changes to the National Construction Code (NCC), including mandated livable housing design standards. The ABCB suggest these new requirements set minimum accessibility standards with features that will better enable the homes used by people with a disability or transitioning through life. While these changes were drafted as a directive of the building ministers, not all State Governments opt for these changes to be included in their jurisdiction; the Victorian Government has been clear that they support these new standards. MBV is seeking further engagement to ensure the changes are appropriately transitioned. The industry also needs to design, develop, and roll out appropriate training so builders and trades can best deliver the required outcomes. MBV has supported Livable Housing Australia by developing the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (2017) through our national office. We have supported its introduction into the NCC as a non-mandatory reference document. It allows the requirements to be tested in the market and supports consumers and industry to implement these features. Unfortunately, contrary to our support, the suggestions we have advocated for have not been implemented. MBV supports the proposed changes based on A voluntary basis as we value the benefits these provisions provide. The following list highlights the immediate changes that will be included in the NCC through the Livable Housing Design Standards: • Step-free access from the street or the driveway, or the garage with compliant gradients. • A parking space is incorporated into the step-free access path. • Step-free dwelling entrance has a clear opening width of 820mm when the door is in the open position that incorporates a level door threshold or has a lip less than 5mm. This arrangement may incorporate a threshold ramp of no more than 56mm. The area at the entrance door may incorporate a landing area, but the entrance door must have a clear, unobstructed space of 1200mm x 1200mm on the arrival side of the door that is level and does not exceed 1:40. • Internal doors on the entrance floor must have a clear opening width of 820mm when the door is in the open position.

• Thresholds of an internal door must be level or have a lip not exceeding 5mm. • Corridor widths must have a clear width of 1000mm. • There must be a toilet on the entrance floor. The toilet must have a minimum width of 900mm and must have a clear space of 1200mm from the pan if the door opens outwards or 1200mm clear from the door swing if the door opens inwards. • A shower must be located on the entrance floor and step-free with a lip less than 5mm. • The shower screen door must be capable of being removed without causing damage to adjoining parts of the shower enclosure. • The bathroom floor must be compliant with AS3740 as if the shower was designed as an unenclosed shower. • Certain zones of the walls of both the shower and toilet must be reinforced by fitting noggins or ply so they can be readily fitted with handrails in the future (as needed by the occupants of the home). MBV has engaged with the government and made it clear we understand the value and intent of these requirements, we have concerns about the potential impacts of them. Our concerns include: • The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) indicated the changes added complexity and did not generate a net benefit for the whole community. • The costs impact housing affordability. • Some changes can readily compromise compliance with other provisions of the NCC. • The current market is volatile from the impacts of COVID-19, including inflated material and labour costs. • The risk of creating inferior building quality. • More clarity in the drafting where exemptions are needed. MBV has suggested uptake may be better complemented with incentivised financial support.