Victoria releases new digital planning tools for councils and developers

A new suite of digital planning tools has launched that aim to make it easier to lodge and track planning amendments in Victoria.

The Victorian Government have released the Amendment Tracking System (ATS), which stores the state’s 82 planning schemes online.

It allows councils and developers to lodge, pay for and track planning scheme amendment requests online, as well as enabling residents and developers to comment on exhibited amendments.

The ATS is expected to save the industry $35 million every year and aims to slash red tape.

An online resource library with search tools has also been released on the Victorian Government’s planning website to help find current and archived planning documents. It includes more than 75,000 pages across 7000 documents, with an extra 15,000 maps.

The Victorian Government also announced it will deliver a new Planning Policy Framework (PPF) that integrates state and local planning policies to slash duplication and reduce conflicting policy.

The PPF will aim to strengthen planning policy, create a framework that is easy to navigate, ensure consistency and simplify updates.

Local councils will be supported to integrate their local planning policies into the PPF over the next 12 to 18 months.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne said Victoria’s nation-leading construction boom news up to date tools like the ATS.

“This ground-breaking system will make it quicker and easier to lodge, track and comment on planning applications – slashing red tape and saving money,” he said.