Amendment C203port Planning Scheme Review

Previous stages of the Amendment

• Adoption

  At the Wednesday 17 August 2022 Council Meeting, Council considered the recommendations of the Planning Panel contained in the Panel report, deciding to adopt Amendment C203port with changes and submit the Amendment to the Minster for Planning for consideration of approval.

  Should the Minister for Planning approve Amendment C203port (with or without changes), it will come into effect once notice of its approval is published in the Government Gazette.

  You can view the report considered by Council at the 17 August 2022 Council Meeting, which also contains the adopted amendment documents, on our website: https://www.portphillip.vic.gov.au/about-the-council/council-meetings/2022-meetings-and-agendas.

• Planning Panel

  Due to COVID-19 and the associated physical distancing requirements, the Panel Hearing for Amendment C203port took place via video conference on Monday 6 June 2022.

  The one-person Panel considered all written submissions received to the Amendment, including verbal submissions made during the Panel Hearing by one submitter.

  You can view the Planning Panel Report here. 

  Planning Panel documents

  View Council’s submission and expert evidence:

  • City of Port Phillip Part A submission
  • Evidence statement of Jim Gard'ner, GJM Heritage (Heritage)
  • City of Port Phillip Part B submission

• Consideration of submissions

  At the Wednesday 2 March 2022 Council Meeting, Council considered all submissions received on Amendment C203port and decided to refer submissions to a Planning Panel for independent review.

  You can view the Council Report and recommendation, which includes a response to individual submissions received during the exhibition period, as well as the meeting minutes on the 2022 meetings and agendas page.

• Exhibition

  The proposed amendment was open for public exhibition from Thursday 11 November to Friday 17 December 2021, where the community was invited to make a written submission. Council will consider these submissions and whether to refer them to an independent Planning Panel at the Wednesday 2 March 2021 Council Meeting.

  The Amendment proposes to update the Port Phillip Planning Scheme to implement findings of the Port Phillip Planning Scheme Audit Report 2018 (PDF 2.3 MB), and land use and development directions of Council's adopted strategies and documents, as well as align with the Victorian Government requirements for Planning Schemes.

  To view the proposed amendment, register to attend a community information session and for details on making your written submission, please visit Have Your Say.

• Council endorsement 7 July 2021

  At the 7 July 2021 Ordinary Council Meeting, Council decided to:

  • Endorse the draft Municipal Planning Strategy, local policies and supporting documents as a basis for Amendment C203port to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.
  • Request the Minister for Planning to authorise the preparation and exhibition of Amendment C203port Planning Scheme Review to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme.
  • Place Amendment C203port on exhibition.

  The Council report and attachments, containing the draft amendment documents, and minutes can be accessed in the Council meetings and agendas.

• What the Amendment does

  Amendment C203port is a targeted review of local content in the planning scheme to improve its usability and enable better decision making.

  All policies currently in the Local Planning Policy Framework of the Port Phillip Planning Scheme have been reviewed and translated into the new format to simplify and improve its structure, function and operation and remove unnecessary regulation.

  Most of this translation is 'policy neutral' and does not alter the meaning of the policy. Where it is not policy neutral, it introduces gives effect to adopted Council strategies and plans such as Act and Adapt: Sustainable Environment Strategy, Art and Soul, Don't Waste It!, In Our Backyard, and Move, Connect, Live.

  In particular the Amendment proposes to:

  • Implement the Port Phillip Planning Scheme Audit 2018 and the land use and development directions of Council’s adopted strategies and documents.
  • Update the Port Phillip Planning Scheme to comply with Victorian Government changes to planning schemes regarding language, format and structure introduced by Amendment VC148.
  • Update local heritage policy to implement new Heritage Design Guidelines, which provide detailed and illustrated guidance on eleven development themes, informed by extensive consultation undertaken in 2019.
  • Introduce new local VicSmart planning provisions to enable quicker assessments of some minor types of planning permit applications.
  • Remove eleven Incorporated Documents from the Port Phillip Planning Scheme as they are obsolete.

  To view the proposed amendment, register to attend a community information session and for details on making your written submission, please visit Have Your Say.

• Why is the amendment required?

  Council is required to regularly review its planning scheme. The last review was completed in 2011. The starting point of the review was the Planning Scheme Audit 2018.

  The amendment is also required to translate the local content into the new State Government format and implement work that has been undertaken through Council's Heritage Program.