Shared Driveways for Units and Dual Occupancy Blocks in Melton

Older Melton and Kurunjang streets are steadily filling with dual occupancy and small unit developments, where the original house on a wide block is kept or replaced and one or two new dwellings go in behind. Almost all of them rely on a single shared driveway running down the side of the block. It is one of the most heavily used pieces of concrete on the property, it is usually owned by more than one person, and it is often the last thing anyone plans properly.

This guide covers what is different about a shared driveway, and the decisions that are much cheaper to make before the concrete truck arrives than after.

Why a shared driveway works harder

A single-house driveway carries one household's cars. A shared driveway on a three-unit block carries three households' cars, their visitors, delivery vans, removalist trucks and, during construction, every concrete truck, skip bin and tip truck that services the build. It also usually runs close to a side boundary fence and past bedroom windows, so drainage, noise and headlight glare all matter more.

On Melton's reactive basalt-plain clay, a long narrow slab that runs most of the depth of the block is exactly the shape that shows soil movement first. The base, the slab thickness, the reinforcement and the spacing of control joints all need to be chosen for that length and that traffic, not copied from a standard single driveway. Our guide to how thick a concrete driveway should be explains why heavier vehicles change the specification.

Width, passing and turning

Shared driveways need enough width for cars to pass pedestrians safely, and on longer driveways or developments with more dwellings, there may need to be a point where two cars can pass each other. The rear dwellings also need enough room to turn so residents can leave the block driving forwards rather than reversing the full length of the driveway onto the street.

The exact width, passing and turning requirements for your development will normally be set by the planning permit and its endorsed plans, so the plans are the starting point for every measurement. Our article on how wide a driveway should be covers the practical dimensions for cars and doors, but on a multi-dwelling block, the permit conditions come first.

The crossover is a separate approval

The section between the kerb and the boundary is council land, and Melton City Council controls what is built there. Where a development needs a new crossover, a widened one or the removal of an existing one, that is permit work, and council's policy notes that a two-lot subdivision proposing a new crossover may also involve the planning permit process. Clearances from street trees, power poles, pits and neighbouring crossovers still apply, and they can decide where the shared driveway meets the street.

If the original house is being kept, check early whether its existing crossover can serve the whole development or whether it needs to be widened, moved or replaced. Our Permit & Road Reserve Paperwork service handles the crossover application and inspections, and can be engaged on its own if your builder is doing the driveway.

Drainage on a long shared slab

A long driveway collects a lot of rain, and on a unit block it often falls towards the rear dwellings or the side boundary. That water has to go into the legal point of discharge rather than across a neighbour's yard or against a building. Grated drains across the driveway near garages and at low points are common on these developments, and the falls need to be set out carefully so water does not sit at the rear of the slab.

The stormwater design for a multi-dwelling development is normally part of the approved plans, so the driveway levels need to work with it. Our guide to driveway drainage in Melton covers the principles in more detail.

Build it after the heavy traffic, not before

One of the most common and expensive mistakes on dual occupancy builds is pouring the finished shared driveway too early. Concrete trucks, cranes and loaded tip trucks running over a new residential slab during construction can crack it before anyone has moved in. Where the build program allows, the better approach is a compacted crushed rock construction track during the build, with the final concrete or exposed aggregate driveway poured once the heavy work is done.

If the driveway has to go in early, talk to your builder about thickening it and adding reinforcement where trucks will turn, and protecting the surface while work continues.

Who owns it and who pays

On a subdivided unit block, the shared driveway is often common property, owned jointly through an owners corporation, while on some dual occupancy developments it sits on one title with rights of way over it for the other. The ownership arrangement decides who pays for repairs, resealing and eventual replacement, and who has to agree before anything is changed. Check your title documents, plan of subdivision and any owners corporation rules, and speak to your conveyancer if the position is unclear.

For new developments, the developer normally pays for the driveway as part of the build. For existing shared driveways that need repair, the cost is usually split according to the ownership arrangement, and it helps to get one written quote that all owners can see.

What it costs

Shared driveways are priced the same way as any concrete driveway, by area, finish, excavation and access, so the rough guide of $80 to $150 per square metre for plain reinforced concrete still applies, with exposed aggregate and coloured finishes higher. The difference is scale: a driveway running the full depth of a Melton block is several times the area of a typical single driveway, and the extra thickness, drains and crossover work add to it. We quote each one on the plans and the site rather than guessing.

Getting it right

If you are planning a dual occupancy or unit development in Melton, Kurunjang, Rockbank or Diggers Rest, send us the endorsed plans and permit conditions before construction starts. We will check the crossover position, the driveway levels and drainage, and the timing of the pour against your build, and give you a free written quote.