Having your say
Any planning application received by Council which may cause detriment to another person is required to be advertised. This process is known as Public Notification and normally involves direct notification to land owners and residents in the surrounding area and a Public Notice being displayed on the subject land. For larger developments, Public Notice may also be placed in the local newspaper.
Any person may object to a planning permit application if they feel they are affected by it, even if they are not formally notified. Your feedback may influence Council’s final decision on the application or may result in changes to the proposal. Any person may inspect the plans and other documents related to an advertised permit application. An objector also has the right to have a planning decision reviewed (except if notice is given informally as outlined below).
Talk to the permit applicant – Talk about the application
You may be able to avoid making a submission by talking to and negotiating with the permit applicant and the Council planner. Voice your concerns and suggest ways that the proposal could be changed to address them. This may result in an agreeable solution without the need to lodge a formal objection.
Lodging an objection (submission)
Make sure you clearly understand what is proposed before you make an objection. You can inspect the application at the Civic Centre, 232 High Street, Melton or view the application including plans and other related documents online. You may also contact the Council planner responsible for the application if you have any queries.
If you decide to lodge an objection you can either complete the on-line form or download an Objection form(DOC, 149KB) .
As a general rule, objections should be based on planning related grounds to ensure that they are able to be considered by Council. This includes concerns related to:
- Neighbourhood character
- Visual bulk or dominance
- Overshadowing or overlooking
- Insufficient car parking
- Traffic safety
- Noise impacts.
Grounds of objection which are generally not able to be considered by Council include:
- Property devaluation
- Loss of views
- Commercial competition
- Type of future residents (rental properties)
- Too many units in the area.
An objection should be lodged within 21 days from the start of the public notification period. However, any submissions can be lodged and considered at any time prior to the decision being made on the application.
Objections can be lodged by post, fax, email or in person, details below:
You may still object to an application, even if you are not formally notified, as long as you have valid grounds.
Please note objections are not confidential - as required by S57 of the Planning & Environment Act, Council must make a copy of every objection available to any person to inspect, free of charge, during business hours.
If you lodge an objection, you will be notified of the decision we make about the application.
Petitions and multiple signatories
Petitions are counted as one objection, regardless of the number of signatories. Separate objections are required from each petitioner if you wish to have objector status, otherwise only the first signatory OR any other person as directed will be registered as an objector.
Informal Notification
Occasionally Council may decide to informally notify owners and occupiers of land surrounding the site if the subject site is covered by a Development Plan Overlay.
In the event that the land is covered by a Development Plan Overlay Control, the application is exempt from the notice requirements and appeal rights of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. This means that you do not have a right to make a formal objection to the application or appeal Council’s decision.
Council does however value any comments you have regarding the proposal and invites you to do so.