Planning Permits in Melbourne
Preparation, lodgement and management of planning permit applications with Melbourne's councils, from VicSmart checks and change of use through to permit amendments and VCAT.
- A straight answer on whether you need a permit, before you pay for one
- Business fit-out, change of use and signage permits, including gyms and hospitality
- VicSmart eligibility checked before anything is prepared
- VCAT reviews run by the same team that lodged the application
In Victoria, most of the time on a planning permit isn't spent on the decision. It goes on requests for further information, public notice and objections, and most of that is settled by what's in the application on day one.
Prestige Town Planning prepares and manages planning permit applications with Melbourne’s councils and councils across Victoria.
Planning permits are assessed under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, the Victoria Planning Provisions and each council’s own planning scheme. Melbourne’s 31 metropolitan councils add their own zone schedules, overlays and local policy to the same state framework, so the same proposal can raise different questions in different municipalities.
Council has 60 statutory days to decide a standard application. A request for further information can restart that clock, and public notice pauses it. We map the zone, overlays and particular provisions before lodgement and answer them in the planning report, so council has less reason to ask.
If council refuses the permit or attaches conditions you can’t work with, we don’t hand it on. We prepare section 72 amendments, extensions of time and applications for review at VCAT.
And if your project doesn’t need a planning permit at all, we’ll tell you that too. We don’t bill for work you don’t need.
Why Choose Us for Your Melbourne Planning Permit
Business permits are our core work
Gyms, hospitality and retail fit-outs are where we've done the most work. Studio P Architecture has partnered with us on more than fifty projects over the past decade, and operators including an Anytime Fitness franchisee and Jym Group have used us across multiple sites.
One team, end-to-end
You deal with the same planner from the first call to the permit and beyond. We brief the traffic engineer, acoustic consultant, arborist or heritage adviser your council needs, so every report answers the same questions.
Applications written for the planning scheme you're in
The planning report responds to the zone purpose, overlay decision guidelines and local policy in your council's scheme, not a template. That is what keeps an application out of a long further information cycle.
Honest reads, not over-promises
If your site can't support what you're trying to build, you'll hear it on the first call. We'd rather lose a brief than walk a client into a refusal.
Our Melbourne Planning Permit Services
Everything below can be part of the same engagement. Most business fit-outs need more than one.
Permit check and VicSmart eligibility
Not every project needs a planning permit. We check the zone, overlays and particular provisions that apply to your site and tell you whether a permit is needed for the use, the works, or both. Where the whole proposal fits a VicSmart class, council must decide it within 10 business days with no public notice, so we check eligibility before preparing anything.
Change of use and business fit-out permits
Opening a gym, café, restaurant, medical centre, childcare centre or place of assembly in an existing tenancy can need a permit for the new use, a permit to reduce the car parking requirement under Clause 52.06, or both. We handle the planning case, including hours, patron numbers, acoustics and waste, and line it up with the building permit the fit-out will need.
Signage and advertising permits
Business identification and promotion signs are controlled by Clause 52.05 and the sign category that applies to the zone. We check each sign before it’s made, prepare the permit where one is needed, and run multi-site signage programmes for brands rolling out across councils and states.
Development and subdivision permits
Multi-unit residential, mixed-use, commercial and industrial development, extensions and subdivision. For residential work we address ResCode (Clauses 54, 55 and 56) and neighbourhood character. For commercial work, the zone, built form overlays and local policy.
Heritage and overlay permits
A Heritage Overlay, Design and Development Overlay, flood or bushfire overlay can trigger a permit for works that would otherwise be exempt. We identify the overlays early and brief the specialist reports council will expect to see.
Planning reports and further information responses
The planning report carries the application. We write it for your site and your council’s scheme, then answer requests for further information quickly and completely, because a late or partial response is where months get lost.
Amendments and extensions of time
Section 72 amendments when the design changes, secondary consent for minor changes to endorsed plans, and section 69 extensions of time. An extension can generally be requested before the permit expires or within 6 months after, or within 12 months after if the development has lawfully started.
VCAT reviews and objector negotiation
Applications for review against refusals, unworkable conditions and failures to decide within 60 statutory days, plus responses to objector-led reviews. We negotiate with objectors and council before a hearing, and tell you whether a review is worth running before you commit to one.
Not sure whether you need a permit?
Most people calling us can describe the project but not the permit triggers. That’s normal, and it’s the first thing we work out. Tell us the address and what you want to do there.
Our Melbourne Planning Permit Process Explained
We don’t just lodge applications. We manage the permit from the first site check through to endorsed plans and beyond. Here’s how it runs for Melbourne projects.
Site
Assessment
We check the zone, neighbourhood plan and overlays under City Plan 2014, plus any building, signage, character or heritage triggers, and confirm which approvals the project needs.
Planning
Advice
We set the order the approvals need to happen in, flag anything that could slow the project, and tell you which consultants' reports are genuinely required.
Application
Preparation
We prepare the planning report, coordinate the supporting documents and lodge with council. Then we answer further information requests and keep the application moving.
Certification
& Coordination
Once approvals are issued, we work through the conditions and keep the planning approval, building approval and any sign approval consistent with each other.
Post-Approval
Support
Projects change after approval. We stay on it, including change applications, condition changes and extensions when the project moves on from the approved plans.
We Specialise in Melbourne Planning Permits for
- Business operators and franchisees opening, relocating or fitting out premises, including gyms, cafés, restaurants, retail, medical and childcare
- Multi-site brands that need consistent planning and signage permits across Melbourne, regional Victoria and interstate
- Commercial property owners and landlords repositioning a tenancy for a new use
- Developers pursuing multi-unit residential, mixed-use, commercial or industrial projects
- Architects and designers who want the council pathway managed while they focus on the design
- Homeowners planning an extension, dual occupancy or works in a Heritage Overlay
If you’ve found a tenancy but haven’t signed the lease, that’s the cheapest point in the whole process to check the permit triggers. Ask before you sign, not after.
Proven Results That Speak for Themselves
With hundreds of successful projects across Australia, our numbers say it all.
Melbourne Planning Permit FAQs
Do I need a planning permit in Melbourne?
It depends on the zone, any overlays, and whether you’re changing the use, doing works, or both. Some projects need no permit at all, while others need one for the use, the buildings and works, car parking or signage. Prestige Town Planning checks the planning scheme for your site before any documents are prepared.
How long does a planning permit take in Melbourne?
Council has 60 statutory days to decide a standard application, but a request for further information can restart that clock and public notice pauses it. Eligible VicSmart applications must be decided within 10 business days. Applications with objections take longer, because council issues a Notice of Decision and objectors have a set window to seek review at VCAT before the permit can issue.
What is VicSmart and is my project eligible?
VicSmart is Victoria’s streamlined pathway for straightforward, low-impact applications, decided within 10 business days against set criteria with no public notice. Eligibility applies to the whole application, so one trigger outside a VicSmart class puts it on the standard pathway. We check the classes before preparing anything.
What's the difference between a planning permit and a building permit?
A planning permit decides whether a use or development is appropriate for the site, and is issued by council under the planning scheme. A building permit checks the building work against the Building Act 1993, the Building Regulations 2018 and the National Construction Code, and is issued by a registered building surveyor. A building permit can’t be issued until any required planning permit is in place.
Do I need a planning permit to open a gym, café or medical centre?
Often. Whether the new use needs a permit depends on the zone and the land use term it falls under, and a use that needs more car parking than the site provides may also need a permit to reduce the requirement under Clause 52.06. We check this before you sign the lease, along with the building permit the fit-out will need.
What does a planning permit cost in Victoria?
There are three main costs: council’s application fee, which is set by state regulations and scales with the cost of development; any consultant reports the site needs; and the planning fee. Prestige Town Planning scopes each Melbourne application and quotes a fixed fee before work starts, and tells you which reports the site genuinely needs.
Council refused our permit or imposed conditions we can't work with. What now?
As the permit applicant, you generally have 60 days to apply to VCAT for a review of a refusal or of conditions. If council hasn’t decided within 60 statutory days, you can apply for a review of its failure to decide. We review council’s reasons first and tell you whether a review, an amended application or a rethink is the better path.
Do you have an office in Melbourne?
No. Prestige Town Planning’s office is in East Gosford on the NSW Central Coast, and Melbourne projects are run remotely by phone, email and video. We attend site visits, council meetings and VCAT hearings in person as required.
How do we get started?
Call and tell us the address and what you want to build or open. You’ll get an initial read on whether a permit is needed and whether the project is achievable, and if it’s worth going further we’ll scope the work and quote a fixed fee.
Tell us about the Melbourne site and we'll tell you what it needs
One conversation is usually enough to know whether you need a permit, which pathway it takes, and what getting it involves.