Future Victoria: Back yards under threat as sky-high land costs force builders to embrace smaller gardens

Family of three Navdeep Singh Shallu Taneja, and their five- month old Arroyo Kaur Saini in their yard. Picture: Tony Gough

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Victoria will be fighting to save the back yard over the next 25 years after decades of shrinkage have turned it into a thin green line smaller than a cricket pitch.

Developers are already hosting backyard cricket events in local parks in a bid to keep the summer staple from going the way of the Hills Hoist, as sky-high land costs force those building new homes to embrace gardens less than 3m wide.

Property services and funds group Oliver Hume statistics show across Melbourne’s growth corridors the typical block size decreased from about 495sq m in 2009 to just 350sq m late in 2024.

Their figures reflect separate Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing the Greater Melbourne average home block size dropped from 490sq m to 429sq m between 2012 and 2021, while the average new house size remained unchanged at 247sq m.

It comes as Housing Industry Association analysis has ranked Melbourne’s typical block size as the smallest in the country.

Oliver Hume chief economist Matt Bell said affordability pressures had left the back yard to “take a hit” as population growth outstripped the supply of new land, more than doubling the price of a block of land over the past few decades from $183,000 to $408,000.

Mr Bell noted that for a 400sq m block there was a minimum required outdoor space of 100sq m, however this included the front yard and any easements.

“You are looking at being at the point where the back yard is becoming challenging to play backyard cricket,” Mr Bell said.

Metricon’s Chelsea home design’s backyard in 2025.

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“But there will be a point as a mathematical certainty that we can’t make houses smaller.”

Villawood Properties founder and chief executive Rory Costelloe said developers were already looking to provide alternatives.

“The current back yard is probably not more than three metres wide and it’s not really enough room to bash a cricket ball around — and that’s why local parks are so important, to ensure kids can still do that,” Mr Costelloe said.

At present his firm aims to have a park within 5-6 minutes walk of every home.

“And we do see a lot more community building as kids are playing sports together in the parks,” he said.

There are still efforts to keep back yard cricket alive, with developers like Villawood running back yard cricket tournaments in their estates’ public parks. Picture: Tony Gough

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However, Mr Costelloe said he wasn’t sure if this could make up for the ability that could be built by hitting a cricket ball against the back fence.

Despite this, the developer said the great Australian dream of a house with a garden was unlikely to die off as long as high levels of skilled migration continued.

“There’s no incentive for them to come to Australia and bring their skills and capital here if we don’t give them the great Australian dream,” Mr Costelloe said.

Metricon design director Adrian Popple said double-storey homes were now already far more common than in the past as families refused to give up a long list of modern musts.

Among the customers of Victoria’s biggest home builder, priorities today include maximising the amount of bedrooms in new homes to accommodate visiting family and friends, a second kitchen, work-from-home spaces, home cinemas, ensuites and living zones designed to open to outdoor entertainment areas.

Mr Popple said homebuyers would likely have to sacrifice some of the currently popular features between now and 2050.

For those who still want a pool in the yard, those building with Metricon can opt for the Lumiere design.

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“Homes will continue to get smaller, blocks are reducing in size and that puts pressure on the home design and something will have to give — whether that’s a bedroom, or a second living area,” he said.

Mr Popple said one of the big shifts they had seen in back yards was for families to try and turn fairly small spaces into a suburban oasis as they pursued a “life on holiday” vibe throughout their life.

Screens and plants are being used to hide plain back fences, while dwarf varieties of fruit trees are also being added to pot plants.

“And they will often chuck in the plunge pool or a water feature or a small veggie patch,” he said.

Navdeep Singh estimates his back yard is somewhere around 50sqm, which is smaller than the wicket pitch of an average cricket ground, but also fairly close to standard these days in Victoria. Picture: Tony Gough

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Despite the shrinking over the past few decades, Mr Popple said further reductions would be problematic for plans to boost energy efficiency through natural light and solar rientation.

“So it’s important that we don’t diminish the back yard any more,” he said.