The City of Greater Dandenong's planning officers decide most planning applications. However, Council may decide on applications that receive submissions/objections or are of significance at a Council Meeting.
Council makes three types of decisions on a planning permit application:
1. Issue a planning permit
If your planning permit application is successful, Council will issue you with a Planning Permit. You can then start your land development and/or use. However, you must comply with all of the permit conditions.
Check the permit conditions carefully. Note any you must comply with before starting the use and/or development. For example, you may need to amended the plans or prepare a landscape plan for Council to approve.
You cannot act on the planning permit until you satisfy the permit conditions and Council has endorsed (approved) the plans.
Refer to submission of plans to comply with planning permit conditions for more details.
More about planning permit conditions
Council places conditions on planning permits after consulting different Council departments. Each department has its own area of expertise.
Sometimes a Referral Authority asks Council to place conditions on a planning permit. A Referral Authority is a statutory or government body responsible for a particular area of concern. For example, VicRoads is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of major roads such as Princes Highway. It might require a developer to follow certain conditions if they are working within or altering the road.
Note any conditions about when the planning permit expires. Most permits expire two years from the date Council issues them. However, sometimes permits include specific times as a condition of the permit.
If you think that a planning permit condition is unacceptable, you can ask for a review. You have 60 days from the date Council issued the planning permit to apply to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a review of Council’s decision.
2. Issue a notice of decision to grant a planning permit
If Council received submissions/objections to your planning permit application, Council can only issue a Notice of Decision to Grant a Permit (NOD).
The Notice of Decision (NOD) is not a planning permit. It is a legal notice stating that Council supports the application if the land use and/or development meets certain conditions. These conditions are explained on the notice. Council will send a copy of this notice to all concerned parties.
If an objector lodges an application for review with VCAT within 28 days of Council issuing the notice, Council cannot issue the planning permit. VCAT will decide on the application.
If VCAT confirms that nobody lodged an application for review the 28-day period, Council can issue the planning permit.
3. Issue a notice of decision to refuse a planning permit
If Council considers the land development and/or use that the planning permit application proposes is not acceptable, it will issue a Notice of Refusal to Grant a Permit. It will list the grounds for the refusal on the notice. Council will give a copy of this notice to all parties involved in the application process.
If you are unhappy with Council’s decision to refuse your application, you can apply to VCAT for a review of Council’s decision. You have 60 days from the date Council issued the notice to apply for a review.
Appealing a decision
Details of appeal procedures are set out on the back of the decision notice. Visit the VCAT website for more details.
