Barbecues, backyard cricket, the Hills Hoist, the swimming pool, a shed and maybe even a veggie patch were duplicated in the rolling backyards of suburbia, separated only by the proverbial picket fence.

But lot sizes are rapidly shrinking.

The standard quarter acre block - about 1000sqm - that filled garden housing estates such as Lorn between the 1930s and 1970s has long diminished, and the rise of a diverse range of allotments has come in its place.

While the 1000sqm block does exist in rural residential estates and even in new subdivisions such as Gillieston Heights, affordability has put what was once touted as the great Australian dream out of reach of many.

Maitland City Council planning guidelines allow for a minimum of 450sqm-sized blocks in new subdivisions, but development applications require a masterplan to illustrate the arrangement of home sites.

Council service planning and regulation group manager Leanne Harris said that was a rare occurrence.

Average lot sizes across the city hover around 700sqm.

About 12 new blocks are created per hectare.

"What we're trying to achieve is a viable outcome based on the compatability of the site," she said.

"Lot sizes are often based on the land itself, and the contours and constraints of the land."

The need for diversity to cater to people with different financial situations, with different lifestyles and at different stages of their lives was also a catalyst for varied block sizes.

"There is a market there for those who want the big blocks, and there's a market for small blocks for first home buyers," Ms Harris said.

"It's about bringing that mix into the market.

"We're very conscious of the affordability issue and that's something we take into account when we're identifying new investigation areas.

"It's logical to extend existing urban areas (where services are already available) or in the case of Lochinvar following the availability of sewer, for future residential development."

But in infill areas, lots could get smaller.

In Perth, new homes are built on 290sqm sites; in Adelaide, blocks can be a mere 180sqm.

Ms Harris didn't rule out the possibility that similar sized blocks could be created in Maitland.

"It's not impossible, particularly for infill development in central Maitland," she said.

"Blocks are small already and with good planning, there could be scope for that to occur."

To cater for the changing trends in block sizes, home builders are crafting their designs accordingly.

Maitland-based home builder McDonald Jones Homes offers a variety of plans to fit a range of block sizes and frontages.

Director Andrew Helmers said most designs catered for a 15m street frontage, but the company's architect Stuart Everitt was working on new plans for homes to suit a 14m frontage for 11 of the 99 blocks in the company's subdivision on Anambah Road.

He said the key to creating attractive subdivisions with smaller lot sizes was in good design.

"There is an emphasis on streetscapes: Stuart's been all over this estate in the planning stages to come up with award-winning designs," Mr Helmers said.

"It's about affordability.

"Smaller blocks are cheaper, it allows people to escape the rental market and live in their own, architecturally-designed home."

But the company also appreciates diversity.

In addition to the Anambah Road estate, McDonald Jones is building a number of residential estates across the city that have home sites and home designs to suit a broad range of homebuyers.

For those looking for the quarter acre block experience, the company offered Dunmore Park at Largs.

"It is our experience that communities such as Maitland need to cater for all budgets and needs," McDonald Jones Homes development manager Peter Bowles said.

"It is simply not feasible to develop residential estates with no choice as to lot size.

"While some people may think large homes on large blocks are ideal, others want smaller blocks of land and smaller, more manageable homes."

Mr Bowles said criticism of the appearance of estates with smaller lots sizes, such as the Anambah Road estate, were unfounded.

Cr Arch Humphery was fearful the estate could take on the appearance of a self storage facility because of the potential for homes hidden behind double garages when the application came before Maitland City Council.

"It is our intention to build appropriately sized, architecturally-designed homes that are functional and appealing," Mr Bowles said.

Ms Harris said the council considered the appearance of a dwelling during the approvals process for individual homes.

"We now have an urban design DCP (development control plan) for individual dwellings, which makes it a condition that we look at the aesthetic factors," she said.

"It is about the compatability of the design (with the neighbourhood) and it is something we're getting more serious about."