The Office of the Victorian Government Architect is preparing new Victorian Apartment Design Standards for Planning Minister Matthew Guy. The standards are based on a NSW model which is currently under review and, unlike Victoria, prescribes a minimum size for apartments.

A working draft of the new standards reportedly states that studio apartments must be at least 37 square metres, with one-bedroom apartments at least 50 square metres.

This compares with the NSW Residential Flat Design Code, which says one-bedroom apartments should be at least 50 square metres, and two-bedroom apartments a minimum 70 square metres. It does not suggest a minimum size for studio apartments.

The Victorian draft also says that 90 per cent of apartments must receive direct sunlight, and that buildings should enable their living spaces to face north.

Mr Guy has yet to approve the proposed standards. Last month he said he was committed to enforcing the standards, and told the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday that his department was consulting with industry on their impact on housing supply and building costs.

The draft also states that buildings should not be more than 18 metres deep, with a two-metre deep balcony for every apartment above ground level.

It restricts buildings to eight apartments for every lift on each floor and recommends that 20 per cent of a development site area be a shared space for residents.

Almost a third - 30 per cent - of the materials used to build apartments must also be recycled or locally sourced, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Up to 15 per cent of an apartment building site "should have soil to take large canopy trees," it said.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Guy appeared to agree with the proposal that a majority of apartments must receive direct sunlight.

“We do need to look at natural light,” he said on ABC radio station 774.

“The concept of just building apartments with bedrooms that have borrowed light either from lift wells or balconies sourced through another living room, is not one that is going to lead to a greater level of amenity in the future.”

But Labor's planning spokesman Brian Tee said Mr Guy was taking far too long to act.

"The minister has ticked off around 50 tall tower applications without any regard to ... minimum design standards. Now here he is pretending to have this conversion that all of a sudden he cares. He has got no credibility."

Asked why the Brumby government had not brought in design standards for apartments, Mr Tee said "tiny apartments" had been "mushrooming in the last few years and the minister should have acted on it some time ago rather than trying to blame others".

Mr Guy said he would not expect to have the proposed design standards approved before the state election in November.

“We will take a sensible period that will go go over an election period. The whole state doesn't have to stop just because the election period is on,” he said.

Mr Guy said Melbunians complaining of an increasing trend of high-rise development in Melbourne are perhaps ignorant of the “huge demand” for development in the city.

“Melbourne is in the midst of a substantial building boom,” he said.

“People want to build and live in this city. There is huge demand in Melbourne, much greater than I think people realise.”

- with Timna Jacks

20% of a development site area should be communal space

30% of building materials used must be recycled or locally sourced

Buildings nine storeys or higher must be separated by a gap of 12 - 24m

5 to 15% of a site should have soil to take large canopy trees

There should be a maximum of eight apartments per lift per floor

Every apartment above ground level should have a 2m-deep balcony”

Buildings nine storeys or higher must be separated by a gap of 12 - 24m

5 to 15% of a site should have soil to take large canopy trees