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Delegated Planning Committee

When a planning application is being considered by Council and there are 11 or more individual objections to that application, or in other special circumstances, the application will be referred to the Delegated Planning Committee (DPC) for a decision. Multiple objections that are identical copies of each other (proformas) and petitions will only be counted as one objection.

The Delegated Planning Committee was formerly known as the Special Planning Committee (SPC). The change was made in August 2020 to align with the new Local Government Act 2020.

The quorum required for the DPC meeting is three Councillors. The DPC exercises delegated powers given to it by the full Council. The DPC usually meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6.00pm. The meetings are held online through Zoom. However, a DPC meeting will only be conducted if there is an application that requires a decision. Please refer to the information below relating to scheduled meetings, agendas and minutes.

All objectors to a planning permit application requiring a DPC decision are invited to present their concerns at a DPC meeting. In addition to these verbal presentations by objectors, the issues raised in all written objections are also carefully considered by the DPC members, prior to making a decision. The applicant is given an opportunity to speak in favour of their proposal and is given the right of reply in relation to the objector’s concerns.

A Council officer’s report is tabled at the meeting. This report is available at local libraries (upon request) and on the Council website from the Friday prior to the DPC meeting. The officer’s report normally canvasses the following matters:

outlines the application
notes the objections and the grounds of objection
evaluates the proposal against relevant strategies and policies e.g. ResCode, the Neighbourhood Character Study, the Heritage Study
contains a recommendation (including draft permit conditions or grounds of refusal) that the DPC can accept, modify or reject

Once the DPC has made a decision on the planning application, both the applicant and the objectors have the right of appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), if they are not satisfied with the DPC decision. Details of the VCAT process are provided to all parties as part of the material accompanying the written decision relating to the DPC decision.