Planning Permit Activity in Victoria 2006-07 Planning Permit Activity in Victoria 2006-07 Published by the Victorian Government Department of Planning and Community Development Melbourne, January 2008 © The State of Victoria Department of Planning and Community Development 2008. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 8 Nicholson Street, East Melbourne. Printed by Stream Solutions Printed on 100% Recycled paper ISSN 1832-3219 Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. This document is also available as a PDF on the internet at www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/ppar www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/ppar Contents Section 1 Introduction 4 Section 2 How to use this report 5 Section 3 Planning permit activity in Victoria 8 Section 4 Planning permit activity by planning scheme 17 Section 5 Limitations 100 Section 6 Planning permit activity September Quarter reports 101 2 Victorian councils, the Municipal Association of Over the past three years there has been Victoria and the Department of Planning and considerable effort by all Victorian councils, the MAV Community Development have collaborated to and the Department of Planning and Community collect and publish standard planning permit data for Development to improve the accuracy and timeliness statewide reporting and monitoring. of planning permit activity reporting. Integration of council systems with the DPCD This planning permit activity report provides useful Planning Permit Activity Reporting System (PPARS) oversight of the volume and type of planning permit is now complete and since July 2007 councils have applications across Victoria’s councils and continues been able to submit automated monthly data returns to expand the range of planning metrics becoming to the department. This more up to date information, progressively available. with richer, more consistent data, better manages In the lead up to the release of this 2006-07 report, effort and resources for reporting and will assist in automatic monthly planning permit reporting has cutting red tape and improving council processes. been introduced. This will ultimately enable councils Monthly and quarterly reporting is now possible, to submit data to the State government at the and will support policy development, performance push of a button – and represents a great deal of monitoring and exchange of planning information collaborative work for this to be achieved. previously not available. I commend those councils Approximately 30 rural, regional and metropolitan who are the early adopters of this important initiative. councils have helped to develop the automated At this time more than 30 councils are submitting system, with DPCD and system vendors. These early their application data electronically on a monthly adopters – and a number of other councils who are basis to DPCD. A representative sample of councils very close – should be applauded for their efforts. have contributed to the 2007-08 September Quarter The planning permit activity report is just one of reports. These have been added in a new section the many e-planning initiatives being undertaken of this report as an introduction to the new data and by councils, the MAV and the DPCD. I look forward reporting which is available earlier than ever before. to working in a continuing partnership to provide Thank you to the MAV, all Victorian Councils, a range of effective, integrated computer-assisted the Building Commission and VCAT who have services for planning stakeholders across Victoria. collaborated in the publication of this report and the implementation of regular reporting. DICK GROSS President Municipal Association of Victoria JUSTIN MADDEN MLC Minister for Planning 3 1 Introduction Planning Permit Activity in Victoria Implementation of the PPAR changes 2006-07 is the fourth report published to council systems has also occurred as part of the Planning Permit and since July 2007, councils have Activity Report (PPAR) project. It been involved in testing prior to going is now an annual report published live with the new automated system. using planning data from councils At this time, more than 30 councils and the Department of Planning and are submitting their application data Community Development (DPCD). electronically on a monthly basis and The report allows for trends in are receiving a comprehensive report planning permit activity over a three- to enable more timely monitoring of year time frame to be documented. their planning information, statistics This information, combined with and processes. data supplied by the Building A new section has been added to Commission’s Pulse and VCAT, this report as an introduction to the provides an insight into the nature new data and reporting which is of planning activity in Victoria. The available earlier than ever before. data in the report helps to monitor A representative sample of councils the planning system and trends in have contributed to the inclusion of development activity generally. It September 2007-08 Quarter Reports also provides useful information to (see Section 6). councils to assist with organisational resource management. The Planning Permit Activity Report project is now well advanced. In May 2007, the PPAR system was completed and launched by DPCD to receive and store the data submitted by responsible authorities. 4 2 How to use this report All Victorian councils provided data The data collected was used to An important issue relates to the about planning applications lodged produce: reporting of planning decisions made with their municipalities over the • an overview of planning activity at by Councils. This report focuses 2006-07 financial year for analysis the State, metropolitan and rural/ on planning applications lodged in in compiling this report. The data regional level (Section 3) the last financial year and does not collection process has revealed include applications that were lodged • a planning permit activity report for that there is significant variation in outside the reporting period. As a each of the 82 Victorian planning planning register data and formats consequence, it excludes decisions schemes, listed in alphabetical maintained by Victorian councils. This on earlier applications and therefore order (Section 4). report contains only information that does not report on the total number Most of the data included in the report is reasonably reliable and can be of planning decisions made over the is self-explanatory, although there are easily interpreted. See Section 5 for twelve-month period of this report. limitations to the information provided some comments about the limitations which are explained in Section 5. The report relies on planning of this data. register data and as such planning Applications to Amend a Permit have The information in Sections 3 and 4 applications lodged is the most been included in the report for the of this report came from four sources: reliable reporting method and gives a second time. This was a new process • planning application data provided ‘snapshot’ of activity throughout the introduced by the Planning and by all Victorian councils and DPCD period. However, the new automated Environment (General Amendment) for planning applications received system will correct these limitations. Act 2004 which commenced on 23 for each of the 82 Victorian May 2005. Where councils have Planning schemes (including recorded this new information, Alpine Resorts, Port of Melbourne we have provided it as separate and French Island and Sandstone lodgments in the report. See Section Island Planning Schemes 5 for some comments about the administered by the Minister for limitations of this data. Planning) • data on planning appeals provided by VCAT • key maps and area descriptions extracted from the Victoria in Future (2004) series produced by DPCD and contributed to by councils • building permit data provided by the Building Commission’s Pulse. 5 How land use and development descriptions were categorised A feature of the activity reports is • The main land use term groups • The main development terms are the ‘Main Land Use or Development included in the definition section also identified including buildings Category’ graph. To prepare this of planning schemes (Clause 75) and works, subdivision, vegetation graph, the description of each which comprise categories 1-5, 7, removal, advertising signs and car application was evaluated and 8 and 10. Less common land use parking exemptions (Categories 6, assigned a ‘main’ category. The term groups were aggregated into 11, 12, 13 and 14). categories are derived from the the ‘other’ category (Category 9). following sources: The ‘accommodation’ group was divided into four subcategories (Categories 1-4). Category Category name and planning scheme Examples of descriptions included in each category number derivation 1 Residential alterations and additions • Extension to a dwelling (Accommodation land use group) • New outbuildings like sheds or a garage • First floor extensions • New windows or fences for a residential property • Tennis courts • Swimming pool 2 One new dwelling • Construct