Assessment Process

Once you have lodged your Planning Application it will be registered, given a reference number and assigned to a Planning Officer. You will be sent a letter acknowledging receipt of your Application and providing the name and contact details of the Planning Officer handling your application.

What Does the Planning Officer Do?

The Planning Officer is responsible for the assessment and processing of your application. Following lodgement, they will undertake an initial assessment of the application. Then they will meet with a senior departmental staff member to determine what steps must be taken to adequately assess the application. These may include:

• A request for more information from you
• Referral of your application to other Council departments or external authorities for review
• A site inspection
•  Notifying the public of your application.

The Planning Officer will make an assessment based on the above, as well as how it complies with the relevant objectives and criteria of the Whittlesea Planning Scheme, other Council policies and State Government Legislation. The assessment will also take into account any comments, advice and concerns received from referral authorities and any objectors.

The Planning Officer will write a detailed report addressing these issues and make a recommendation that the application be issued with conditional approval or that it be refused.

What Happens to the Report?

If the application receives objections, it will need to be decided at a Council Meeting. In this case, the report written by the Planning Officer is a Council Report. Once this report is completed it will be scheduled for consideration at the next available Council Meeting.  In addition, an application which is recommended for refusal will also need to be decided at a Council Meeting.

If no objections are received, the Planning Officer will prepare a Delegated Report. This report can be decided by the Manager of Planning Services.  If an application is prohibited, the Planning Officer will prepare a Delegated Report.  This report can be decided by the Manager of Planning Services. 

See the RELATED LINKS to the right of the page for further details on the application process.