Every major AU estate (Stockland, Mirvac, Villawood, Peet) requires landscape compliance to estate-specific design guidelines — but the document name, the deadline, the species list and the submission process all vary by estate AND by stage within each estate. The first action for any buyer: find the document specific to YOUR release. Direct links + developer contacts for the four largest estate operators below.
This is the page that exists because every covenant-estate buyer asks the same first question: "Where do I find my landscape requirements?" The answer changes by developer, by community, by stage, and sometimes by individual lot. Here's the consolidated 2026 reference.
Two opinions up front:
- The "I'll just plant the same as my neighbour" approach has burned more covenant buyers than anything else. Different stages within the same estate have different approved species lists. Your neighbour at Aura Banya is operating under a different Design Essentials document than your neighbour at Aura Acacia. Copy a stage you weren't approved for and you'll fail compliance.
- Engaging the developer's compliance team early is always cheaper than going silent. Stockland's design@stockland.com.au, Mirvac's portal-based query system, Villawood's customer experience leads — all of them prefer conversation to enforcement. The buyers I see hit by formal breach notices are universally the ones who never replied to the first reminder letter.
Stockland — largest portfolio, most communities, most variation
Stockland Aura Caloundra South, QLD
Document type: "Design Essentials" (per stage / precinct)
- Where to find: per-precinct PDFs on the Stockland Aura community page. Examples: Acacia precinct PDF; central + Banya + Nirimba precincts each have their own document with different species lists.
- Direct contact: design@stockland.com.au for any design queries (responds in 2-5 business days)
- Common requirements: approved species list (subtropical-weighted; usually includes Lomandra 'Tanika', Westringia 'Mundi', Dianella 'Cassa Blue', Ficinia nodosa, Carpobrotus, several Banksia and Lilly Pilly cultivars); minimum turf percentage; minimum canopy tree count; service-zone screening; submission of plan before installation in some precincts
- Stage-by-stage variation: high — Acacia uses one species set, Banya another. Always download the document for your specific release
Stockland Providence East South Ripley, QLD
Document type: "Design Essentials" (release-specific)
- Where to find: release-specific PDF on community page; check date stamp on document — they update annually
- Style direction: SEQ subtropical; species list typically heavier on natives + climate-suited Mediterranean (rosemary, lavender)
Stockland (other QLD/national) Various
Stockland operates dozens of communities across QLD, NSW, VIC, WA. After the December 2024 acquisition of 12 former Lendlease communities (Edgewater Park, Yarrabilba, Lakelands SEQ, Calderwood among others), Stockland is now the single largest AU master-planned developer.
- General approach: visit the specific community's page on stockland.com.au, find the "Buying and building" or "Design and approvals" section, locate your release-specific Design Essentials PDF
- If you can't find it: email design@stockland.com.au with your community name + lot number; they'll send the right document
- Plan submission: some communities require plan approval before installation; others are inspect-after-completion. Check your specific document
Mirvac — premium positioning, portal-based approval system
Mirvac Olivine Donnybrook, VIC
Document type: "Design and Siting Guidelines"
- Where to find: Olivine resident portal — covenant guidelines section; current Design Guidelines PDF (v12)
- Critical detail: Olivine's Design Guidelines apply to lots greater than 300m². Lots ≤300m² fall under Victoria's Small Lot Housing Code instead — different rules. Check your lot size before assuming the Design Guidelines apply
- Landscape Package option: Mirvac offers a pre-specified landscape package as a convenience option (you don't have to use it)
- Approval system: portal-based — builders/architects submit applications via the Olivine portal with online approvals process
- Style direction: Melbourne temperate; species list tends Mediterranean + native mix (lavender, rosemary, native grasses, evergreen structural shrubs)
Mirvac (other communities) Various
Mirvac runs Everleigh (QLD), Tullamore (VIC) and several other masterplanned communities. Each has its own design guidelines document on the community-specific portal.
- General pattern: Mirvac uses portal-based document delivery and online approvals more consistently than Stockland
- Style range: typically more contemporary / coastal / Mediterranean than Stockland's broad-Australian default
Villawood Properties — VIC + QLD growth corridor
Villawood Aspire / Waterbird / Newgate Tarneit + Fraser Rise, VIC
Document type: "Design Guidelines" (per community)
- Where to find: Villawood resident portal for your specific community; if you've lost access, contact your sales rep
- Common requirements: species lists weighted toward natives + Mediterranean (Tarneit climate is dry temperate); fence colours and types regulated alongside planting; front-yard standards typically separate from back-yard
- Style direction: contemporary with native + drought-tolerant emphasis
Peet Ltd — affordable growth corridor focus, multi-state
Peet Lakelands Mandurah, WA
Document type: "Restrictive Covenants" (estate-specific)
- Where to find: Peet Lakelands restrictive covenants page
- Climate: Perth Mediterranean — species lists weighted toward Mediterranean drought-tolerant + WA native
- Common requirements: approved species list, minimum turf, fence and driveway material specifications
Peet (other communities) Various
Peet operates Yarrabilba (QLD — though Stockland-controlled since 2024 absorption), Movida (WA), Catalina (NSW) and several growth-corridor communities. Each has its own restrictive covenants document.
- Style direction: affordability-led, growth-corridor demographic. Species lists tend practical: drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, climate-suited
What's consistent across all four developers
The differences are real, but the common thread runs through every major AU estate covenant:
- Universally prohibited species: Cocos Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana — declared environmental weed in NSW + VIC); Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana — invasive outside Riverina); Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora — major invasive in SE QLD/NSW); seed-setting Agapanthus cultivars (only sterile cultivars permitted in VIC + parts of NSW)
- Front-yard turf percentage requirement — typically 30-50% of front yard must be lawn (deliberate aesthetic to keep estate streetscape from looking like a row of mulched beds)
- Minimum canopy tree count — typically 1 per 100m² of front yard, with mature size minimum specified
- Service-zone screening — bin storage, hot water unit, AC condenser, gas meter all need visual screening from the street
- Approved species lists are guides, not exhaustive — most developers will accept sensible substitutions if you ask. The list isn't a hard maximum; it's the safe default
- Plan submission/approval is required in some stages — not all. Check your specific document for whether you need pre-installation approval or can install + report
Open your settlement pack right now and find the document called Design Essentials, Design Guidelines, or Restrictive Covenants. Read the landscape clause. Note the deadline date. If you can't find the document, email the developer's design contact (design@stockland.com.au for Stockland; portal queries for Mirvac; sales rep for Villawood/Peet) before doing anything else. Most landscape-compliance failures aren't from buyers planting wrong species — they're from buyers acting on memory of what someone else did at a different estate.
How a credentialed Plant Plan handles this
The intake process: you upload the Design Essentials/Guidelines PDF specific to your stage. The plan is then designed against the document — every species cross-checked against the approved list, every prohibited species avoided, turf percentage and tree count designed in, service-zone screening planned. The deliverable is a planting plan that meets your specific covenant AND looks like a garden you'd want to live with.
Cost: $690-$1,200 for a credentialed remote Plant Plan (cheaper than the $395 compliance plan + $700 aesthetic plan two-step). Delivery: 5 business days. Most covenant buyers fit in this band; for full concept + planting (when the whole outdoor space is undefined), see the online landscape design overview.
Designed to your specific estate guidelines
Upload your Design Essentials / Design Guidelines / Restrictive Covenants PDF at intake. Your Plant Plan is built to satisfy the document AND your style. Australia-wide, 5-day delivery, fixed pricing from $690.
Start Your Covenant-Compliant PlanFrequently asked questions
Where do I find my estate's landscape design guidelines?
Three places, in priority order: (1) your settlement pack from the developer (folder you received at handover, often digital), (2) the developer's resident portal — Mirvac Olivine has portal.olivine.mirvac.com, Stockland publishes per-stage "Design Essentials" PDFs on their community pages, Peet maintains per-estate covenant pages on peet.com.au, (3) your conveyancing solicitor's settlement file. The document name varies — Design Essentials (Stockland), Design Guidelines (Mirvac), Restrictive Covenants (Peet).
Are the requirements the same across all stages of one estate?
No — and this is a common mistake buyers make. Stockland Aura, for example, publishes separate Design Essentials per release/precinct (Acacia, Banya, Nirimba, Central, etc.). Each has slightly different species lists, deadline rules and submission processes. Always check the document specific to your stage, not a general estate document.
Can a remote planting plan satisfy estate covenant requirements?
Yes — for the planting and softscape component. Upload your specific stage's Design Essentials/Guidelines PDF at intake; the plan is built to satisfy the document AND look great. Note: planning permits, town-planning approvals, and any council DA conditions sit outside this scope and may need separate professionals.
Do I have to use the developer's preferred landscape supplier?
No. The covenant requires you to meet the design standards — it doesn't dictate who designs or installs. Some developers (Mirvac Olivine notably) offer a "Landscape Package" as a convenience option with pre-specified species. You're free to choose any qualified designer or landscaper instead.
What if my planting doesn't pass developer review?
Most developers send a written "requested changes" note rather than a hard rejection. The common reasons: prohibited species (Cocos Palm, Cootamundra Wattle, seed-setting Agapanthus are universally banned); species not on the approved list; insufficient turf percentage; missing canopy trees; service-zone screening absent. A good plan addresses all of these before submission.
Do covenants ever change after I've moved in?
Rarely, and with notice. The covenant deed is contractually fixed at the date of your land contract — subsequent updates to estate-wide design guidelines apply to new lots, not existing owners. If you bought in 2022 under v8 of the Design Guidelines and v12 came out in 2024, you're still operating under v8 (though following v12 voluntarily is fine). Read your specific deed date to confirm.