Some planning permit applications are put on public notice for a period of 14 days, where any person interested may view the plans and object or support the application. Applications can be advertised by a sign on site, letters to adjoining properties or a notice in a local newspaper. Anyone may object to a planning application, up until Council makes its decision.
View Advertised Planning Applications
You can view all current planning permit applications that are on public notice here. Alternatively, you can arrange a time to view copies at Council offices by emailing [email protected] or calling 5220 7111.
Support or Object to an application
Any person who may be affected by a planning application can lodge an objection, or letter of support. The objection should detail how you will be impacted by the proposal, and whether you believe there are any solutions. To lodge an objection, view the applications here and complete the form at the end of the application.
View past planning applications
Council is required to maintain a register of all planning applications it receives, and the decision we made on those applications. You can view the register here. To obtain further documents relating to these applications, you are required to complete a Freedom of Information request. It is noted that once an application has been decided, you cannot make a submission for or against the application.
Read this information sheet on lodging an objection
The consultation process can be seen here.
Once you make a submission, you will receive an acknowledgement from Council. Petitions, or joint objections from the same address count as one submission. Council will send all correspondence to the first name listed on the petition.
The time taken for Council to assess an application and make a decision varies. This depends on the complexity of the application, submissions received, and whether or not the applicant chooses to host a consultation meeting. If a consultation meeting is to be held, Council will send you an invitation. if a consultation meeting is not held, the applicant will provide a written response, addressing the concerns.
Assessment and decision
The application will be assessed, and a decision made within the relevant planning assessment framework. Any submissions received must also be considered. In some instances applications will be decided at a Council Meeting. If this occurs submitters will receive an invitation to this meeting from Council.
Notice of decision and appeals (if required)
If you lodged a submission to an application, you will receive a Notice of Decision (NOD). The NOD will outline Council’s position on the application and any conditions that will appear on a permit, if a permit is to be granted. The NOD is effective for 28 days and gives you an opportunity to appeal the decision to VCAT if you are not satisfied. Further detail on the appeal process can be accessed via this link.
Withdrawing an objection
You can withdraw your objection by writing to council if:
you are satisfied with the outcome of negotiations with the permit applicant, or
you do not want to pursue your objection.
Please note Council cannot accept a conditional withdrawal. If you withdraw your objection you will lose your right to apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a review.
If you are unclear about what the documents associated with a planning permit application mean for you, you are welcome to seek assistance from our planning team by emailing [email protected], calling us on 5220 7111, or visiting our planning counter at 2 Pope Street, Bannockburn. Alternatively, you could seek the assistance of independent town planning consultant.
If a development you have heard about is not shown on our advertised planning permits list, this could be due to a number of reasons:
- The application may not have progressed to advertising yet. There can be a delay of several weeks to months between the lodgement of an application and it being advertised, while Council requests further information from the applicant or comments from referral authorities.
- The advertising period may be closed. If this is the case, the plans can still be viewed by calling or visiting Council. You may object to an application up until Council makes a decision.
- The application may have been decided. Once an application is decided, you cannot lodge an objection. You can view applications that have been decided at our planning register.
- The application may be exempt from public notice. Some applications are exempt from notice under the provisions of the planning scheme. In these cases, Council cannot seek public comments on the application.
- The application may not be lodged yet. Oftentimes, community members will hear about proposals before they are lodged with Council. Until a proposal is formally submitted to Council, we cannot take any comments on it.
If Council has requested further information under Section 54 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987, and you are unable to provide the required documents within the due date, you can request an extension of time.
To do this, you must:
- Make the request in writing before the due date
- Clearly state the reason for the delay
- Specify a reasonable time you need to provide the information (e.g., 30 days, 60 days etc)
Council will consider your request and notify you of the outcome. If no request for an extension is made and the information is not submitted by the due date, your application will lapse, and a new application may need to be lodged.