What MPA 04 changed on 1 July 2026
The 120 m² cap is gone, RZ1 minimum block sizes are gone, consolidation is permitted. Much published guidance is now out of date.
Major Plan Amendment 04 to the Territory Plan commenced on 1 July 2026 and changed the development rules for RZ1 and RZ2. If you are reading a blog post, a council fact sheet or an older DA for guidance, check its date — several constraints that appear in that material no longer apply.
| Change | Effect |
|---|---|
| 120 m² cap on a second dwelling in RZ1 — removed | Second dwellings can be full size. This alone transforms dual occupancy economics. |
| Minimum block sizes in RZ1 — removed | The old 800 m² threshold (700 m² for former Mr Fluffy blocks) no longer gates additional dwellings. |
| RZ1 density | Now guided by density targets in the Residential Zones Technical Specifications s.5.2, not a fixed number. |
| Heights | RZ1: two storeys plus attic. RZ2 multi-unit: three storeys plus attic. |
| Block consolidation | Permitted in both zones. Caps: 2,000 m² generally; 2,500 m² adjoining open space or paths; 3,000 m² at section ends. |
| Cohousing | Minimum block size removed (was 10,150 m²). |
| Open space | Private, communal and principal POS specifications revised. |
| Subdivision | Made easier in both zones. |
What did not change
The Lease Variation Charge. MPA 04 changed what you may build; it did not change what it costs to be permitted to build it. The two interact: MPA 04 makes more configurations physically possible, and the LVC schedule decides which of them are worth pursuing.
Plot ratio — and a correction worth knowing
A formula circulates widely for RZ1 dual occupancy: 140 ÷ block area +
0.15. It appears in DAs, in advice, and in a good deal of published
material. It is from the pre-2023 Territory Plan and is now two plan
versions out of date. On an 800 m² block it gives 0.325 against the
current 0.50 — so anyone still using it is understating buildable area by a third.
| Zone | Plot ratio, multi-unit housing |
|---|---|
| RZ1 | 0.50 |
| RZ2 | 0.50 |
| RZ3 | 0.65 |
| RZ4 | 0.80 |
Two further things changed and both matter more than the number:
- Plot ratio is no longer a mandatory requirement. It moved into the Residential Zones Technical Specifications, where it is guidance. MPA 04 did not alter it — the change summary for NI2026-303 covers dwelling density, open space and heights, and leaves plot ratio alone.
- Site coverage went the other way and is now mandatory as an Assessment Requirement in the Residential Zone Policy. This tool does not compute site coverage. On a constrained block it, not plot ratio, is likely to be the binding control.
So the maximum GFA shown on each property page is indicative — an upper bound for sanity-checking a revenue assumption, not a cap you can design to.
Last reviewed 1 August 2026. Every figure here should be verified against the current instrument — see sources and method.
Other explainers
- Residual land value
- Why unimproved value is your floor
- The 75% rule, and the missing middle remission
- The density curve
- The $1.28 rule
- Time is a cost
- Why “DA approved” may be worth nothing
- Former Mr Fluffy blocks
- Reading a Crown lease purpose clause
- The Pattern Book
- Buyer incentives from 1 July 2026