Planning and environment law governs issues associated with decisions by road and water authorities, councils and state government. It essentially manages how our cities, towns and natural environment look:

  • If you live on a heritage street, then it is the planning and environment act that protects the housing stock of the area.
  • If a farmer wishes to cut down trees that are in a habitat zone, it is planning and environment law that will protect the trees or penalise the farmer if they are removed without permission.
  • If you are frustrated by council’s approval of a planning application, then the Planning and Environment Act enables you to seek a review of that decision at VCAT.

Planning and Environment law is a form of administrative law, and I assist individuals, companies and government authorities to navigate the complexities that govern this administrative law in Victoria.

My services:

  • Planning advice
  • Preparation of planning applications and representation at council consultative meetings for planning permit applications, navigating planning controls and other regulatory requirements, and addressing assessment criteria procedures
  • Victorian planning panel hearings for planning scheme amendments
  • Merits review, as well as obtaining, defending and challenging consents, permits, licences and other approvals or refusals. This includes
    • merit appeals and legal challenges, and alternate dispute resolution
    • permit extensions
    • licensed premises
    • chicken broiler farms
    • wind Energy Facilities/wind farms
    • residential
    • advertising signs
    • schools
    • restrictive covenants
    • major projects
    • existing use rights
    • development applications
    • review applications
    • clean up and prevention notices
    • water, noise and air pollution
  • Compulsory acquisition advice, representation and appeals
  • Pollution, environmental and planning prosecutions hearings
  • Heritage, native vegetation and threatened species matters
  • 173 and voluntary planning agreements
  • VCAT appeals to Supreme Court