Planning and environment - News & Updates

What you need to know about practice days

Practice day hearings deal with directions, interim orders or procedural applications in the Planning List and Environment and Resources List. 

Planning & Environment update: faster resolution of cases

Our Planning and Environment Division are making important changes to how cases are managed to make for shorter waiting times and faster case resolution.

Reminders for efficient processing of emails

To ensure your application proceeds as quickly as possible, here are a few reminders when emailing the Planning and Environment Division.

Determination of a waterway under the planning scheme

This decision provides a summary of the legislative framework for the determination of a ‘waterway’ under a planning scheme.

Practical implications of third party exemptions in an integrated omnibus permit application at VCAT

This article summaries a VCAT decision about a proposal for tourist accommodation which required various planning permissions under four planning controls. 

Effect of third party exemptions on 'omnibus' permits at VCAT

This article analyses the implications of a Supreme Court of Victoria ruling on a VCAT decision related to the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (PE Act).

Planning hearings and compulsory conferences at suburban VCAT venues

Some planning cases will now be heard at VCAT locations outside the Melbourne CBD, specifically at Bundoora, Frankston and Oakleigh.

Changes to being added as a party in planning permit cases

In 2023, VCAT introduced changes for cases involving planning permits that set out how someone can be added as a party.