Pre-Application – Getting it right to start with! Rach Lunn City of Greater Dandenong Click to add title Title line 1 and Title line 2 are to be added here. Click to add subtitle Author and Date are to be added here.

The CGD Pre-Application Advice Service Otherwise known as: “If you liked it then you shoulda got a note on it”

Rachel Lunn Will Stewart Jane Brodie Manager – City Planning and Design Will Stewart Coordinator - Statutory Planning Coordinator Leanne Nicholls Business and Project Support Officer Jane Brodie Coordinator - Strategic, Design and Sustainability Planning General Applications incl. VicSmart & Subdivision Major Developments incl. Priority Paid Planning Administration Support Strategic Planning Urban Design and Open Space Sustainability Planning Tony Casciere Team Leader – Statutory Planning Aaron Dyer Team Leader - Statutory Planning Rod Kean – Team Leader Statutory Planning Paul Iacuone Team Leader - Statutory Planning Sarah Salem Team Leader - Statutory Planning Susan Richards Planning Support Team Leader Warren Wood Team Leader – Strategic Planning VACANT Team Leader –Sustainability Planning Ceinwen Gould Senior Strategic Planner Agus Batara Urban Open Space & Design Officer Darren Wilson Environmental Planner Afua Adjei Senior Statutory Planner Tran Ly Senior Statutory Planner Norm Kortum Senior Statutory Planner Ray Micallef Senior Statutory Planner Amy Wagenaar Planning Support Officer Dana Mizrachi Senior Strategic Planner James Mitchell Sustainability Planner Carolyn Reddy Customer Liaison Officer Glen Housden PT SUBDIVISION OFFICER Aime Bigornia Planning Support Officer Matt Sacco Statutory Planner Chris Seow Statutory Planner Rachel Diamond Strategic Planner Sarah Matthews STATUTORY PLANNER Sri Amareswaran Statutory Planner Mitch Seach Statutory Planner Nikki Brock PT Statutory Planner Angela Drakopoulos Planning Support Officer Aisling Keogh Strategic Planner Hugh Griggs STATUTORY PLANNER Anita Collingwood Planning Support Officer

What is the Planning Pre-Application advice service?... The planning pre-application advice service is a service aimed at providing potential applicants with the opportunity to meet with planning officers to discuss their proposal, identify key areas of concern, and gain an understanding of the planning permit application process. Planning applicants and agents often request advice on whether a particular proposal is likely to be successful. This is a valuable process because it can identify improvements needed to a scheme prior to submission and can save people submitting applications that have little or no prospect of success.

Statutory Planning performance improvements Applications decided ‘on time’ YEAR 11/12 YEAR 12/13 YEAR 13/14 July and August 2014 PPARS expectation 60% PPARS actual 27% 49% 56% 68% Click to add title Title line 1 and Title line 2 are to be added here. Click to add subtitle Author and Date are to be added here.

Planning Pre-Application Service We have implemented a very successful Pre-Application Meeting Service in early 2013 Year 13/14 Planning Pre-Application Advice Service requests & completions 162 Applications lodged after a Pre-App? 153 Refusals on schemes that were ‘Pre-App-ed?’ 1 Click to add title Title line 1 and Title line 2 are to be added here. Click to add subtitle Author and Date are to be added here.

What doesn’t the pre-application advice service do? The pre-application advice service does not apply to existing applications or to applications that are currently being considered by VCAT. The pre-application advice service cannot provide a professional consultancy service. The Statutory Planning Team is here to assess and make recommendations on your proposals, and advise where your proposal does/does not meet the Planning scheme or Council policy requirements. Officers are not able to offer planning consultancy, design or architectural, traffic, civil engineering services, etc. Applicants who are unsure about preparing a planning application are advised to consult with an independent, suitably qualified professional. Details of town planning consultants can be found at www.planning.org.au.

What does the pre-application advice service do? Provides a Meeting and Written Document Service Consistency in outcomes – the right level of input Improve PPARS Councillor and Executive buy-in Certainty & Transparency Negotiate first – play ‘hard ball’ second! It stops “Jody Says...”

What advice will I receive? Is it legally binding? In all cases, officers will be pleased to offer advice, based upon their own professional judgment, however this will not commit Council to a particular decision or outcome. A Council decision will only be forthcoming once the actual planning application has been lodged and determined. Above all, the Council’s discretion to make the final decision cannot be prejudiced in any way. All information and correspondence (including plans, drawings, photos, emails, etc.) that you submit to Council in relation to a pre-application proposal, as well as meeting notes and written feedback, will be held in Council’s Records Document Management System.

How does the service work? As part of the pre-application advice service, you will have a meeting with a planning officer to discuss your application. Depending on the complexity of your application, you will receive written feedback within one of the following timeframes: Simple and Average proposals - a written response will be provided to the applicant within two weeks of the meeting. Complex and Regional/City Importance proposals – a written response will be provided to the applicant within four weeks of the meeting. WE HAVE A ‘LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY’ TABLE – SEE HANDOUT .

What level of planning officer will deal with my proposal? Simple and average proposals will generally be handled by a Statutory Planning Officer or Senior Planning Officer, with assistance from other council officers as required. Complex proposals will generally be handled by a Statutory Planning Team Leader, with assistance from other council officers as required. Regional/city importance proposals will generally be handled by the Coordinator Statutory Planning with assistance from Manager Planning and Design and other council officers as required. The Director of City Planning, Design and Amenity can be requested to attend the initial meeting for a proposal of regional / city importance, however all such requests must be directed to the Manager Planning and Design or the Director’s Personal Assistant.

How can I access the Service? To access the pre-application advice service, you must complete a Planning pre-application advice service request form (PDF) and submit to Council with any required supporting information in person, via fax, post or email (details on form). Once we receive a valid request and the necessary supporting information, you will be contacted within a week and a meeting date will be offered to you. We try to arrange a meeting within three weeks of receiving a valid request. Appointments are only during normal working hours. Council will provide you with a reference number (PlnPre) and you will be notified of the name of the planner who will lead your pre-application meeting. SEE SERVICE REQUEST FORM

What does it cost? Simple proposals - free of charge Average proposals - free of charge for the initial service (up to 2 meetings and 1 written document), then $100 for each meeting or written document thereafter Complex proposals - $200 for the initial service (up to 2 meetings and 1 written document), then $200 for each meeting or written document thereafter State/City Significant proposals - $300 for the initial service (up to 2 meetings and 1 written document), then $300 for each meeting or written document thereafter

How to our Internal Processes work? SEE THE PLANNING INTERNAL PROCESS DOCUMENT

How do we organise allocating Pre-Apps? WE HAVE AN ALLOCATION AND TRACKING SPREADSHEET

What Written Feedback does the applicant get? SEE THE WRITTEN RESPONSE DOCUMENT

How have we embedded Pre-App in our systems? Written Pre-Application Advice Docs go onto each New Application File ‘Three strikes’ rule for unsupported developments Embedded in Councillor thinking – they ask residents or developers “Didn't you use our Pre-App? Officers could have helped you first!” We use it for internal projects too – City Improvement, new Kinders, changes to Sports Pavilions etc

What questions can I help you with?? Over to you guys.... What questions can I help you with??

Thank you I hope I’ve helped a little in starting or improving your Pre-App journey! Questions Title Can be changed if needed.