The Infrastructure Design Manual (IDM) is a joint initiative of 44 Victorian rural and regional Councils working together to formulate and maintain a set of consistent requirements and standards for the design and development of infrastructure.
A new version, 5.5 been recently published. The manual can be downloaded here: https://www.designmanual.com.au/. The list of amendments is also available.
An amendment that may cause issue to pipe suppliers is that under special circumstances with approval by Council, drainage pipes can be constructed under an urban sealed road with a reduced minimum cover of 300mm. Reduced cover may see the occurrence of longitudinal cracking if necessary precautions are not taken during construction.
The Standard drawings have also been updated and can be downloaded: designmanual.com.au/assets/files/documents/Standard_Drawings/IDM_STANDARD_DRGS_SET_2025-04-08.pdf
Of particular interest to our members is the new note on drawings related to precast pits that discourages pipes entering into corners of pits. Members have advised that this is current normal practice hence caution in supply to IDM councils is required.