The Customer Service Centre will be closed from 3.00pm, Tuesday 24 December and reopen 8.30am, Thursday 2 January 2025. There will also be changes to our bin collection days during this period.
Talk with one of our planners to see if your application is simple, or complex. We also provide a guide below to the pre-application and VicSmart processes.
A tip - speaking to us early will help smooth the application process.
This is an optional step, but highly encouraged.
Book a pre-application meeting.
1-14 days later
Ensure you have the required application information (forms, fees, plans, cover letter and any required reports)
Once lodged, Council will begin assessing your application.
Councils have 60 statutory days to decide on planning permit applications but there are multiple factors that may cause timeframes to be extended.
7-28 days later
If needed, we may request further information (RFI), usually within 28 days of lodgement. We provide a deadline to respond with the information. Where further information is not requested, applications will go straight to step 5 or step 6.
TIP - a complete, high quality application can reduce the likelihood of receiving a request for information. Talk to our planners early in your application process.
28 days later
We determine if the information you provided to us is sufficient. Where further detail is required, this may further extend the timeline by 14 days.
7-14 days later
We will advise you if you need to publicly advertise.
If advertised, community members may submit a formal objection – which we will investigate and evaluate.
14-21 days later
Council assess all aspects of your application (consulting with objectors where necessary) and will issue a decision. Where decisions require Councillor involvement (i.e. a vote of Council), these estimated timeframes may take longer than 28 days.
If a decision cannot be reached, we may request more information at this point, also, moving back to step 3.
If the applicant or an objector lodges an appeal with VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal), the Tribunal can revise Council’s permit decision. Please note VCAT timelines are variable depending on VCAT’s current caseload.
3-12 months later
If applicable, Council will issue you a permit.
28-90 days later
14-28 days later
14 days later
6-12 months later
Please note: All pre-application responses represent the views of planning officers only. These views may or may not be consistent with the final views of Council, third parties or any relevant referral authorities.
A high-quality submission will allow us to provide better advice. Where a proposal requires third party or referral authority input, we recommend you seek their comments before submitting your application.
Within one week you will receive an appointment time, if one is needed. The pre-application process is a conversation between you and Council’s planning officers.
It gives you a better understanding of Council policy and officers' views. It also gives officers a better understanding of your proposal.
After an initial discussion, you will all have a better understanding of the next steps.
The more information you can provide, the better advice they will be able to give you.
Within the next 2-3 weeks, you will have this meeting. If a meeting is not necessary, we will call or email with the officer's views, or you'll get a formal written response.
The meeting provides you with:
The pre-application meeting does not provide you with:
The pre-application meeting provides planning officers with:
The pre-application meeting does not enable planning officers to:
This meeting may be conducted onsite or in Council offices.
Within 3-5 weeks of a pre-application meeting, you'll receive a formal written response.
The planning officer provides a written response which:
You can use VicSmart to apply for:
Please refer to the VicSmart website for more, or to the “Types of VicSmart Applications” for specific information on the above topics.
Tip: even with VicSmart applications, speaking with our planners early is strongly encouraged.
Lodgement and requests for information.
Up to ten business days after pre-application
Ensure you have the required application information (forms, fees, plans, cover letter and any required reports). Once lodged, we will begin assessing your application.
We may request further information. If external referrals are required, it is your responsibility to ensure that all relevant authorities have reviewed and provided consent to the application. This may extend your timelines.
Tip: a complete, high quality application can reduce the likelihood of receiving a request for more information. Talk to our planners to help do this.
Up to five business days later
We assess all aspects of the application and make a decision. We may request further information.
A request for information can be made within five days of the VicSmart application. If this happens, the timeline for the VicSmart application may extend, depending on the quality of the information provided in your response.
Up to ten business days later
We will either issue you a permit, or a Notice of Refusal to Grant a Planning Permit will be issued.
Planning process map - pdf(PDF, 501KB)