Archive:   Planning Permit Activity

Last Updated  22/4/08

Planning Permit Activity In Victoria 2006-2007 Annual Report Now Out

(11/3/08 - P)  Figures for Macedon Ranges up on last year: 10% increase in approvals, 2% drop in refusals confirms this Council's 'gotta have it' attitude to development

The Department of Planning and Community Development has now released figures for planning permit activity during 2006/2007.  You can obtain a copy of the report - and previous years' reports - by going to www.ppars.dse.vic.gov.au

 Details for Macedon Ranges 2006-2007

Source: Planning Permit Activity Report - DPCD*

Source: Planning Permit Activity Report - DPCD*

*Note:  These figures should be treated with care due to the methodology used to produce them.  You should read the DPCD detailed explanation of descriptions, what was counted and what wasn't, how figures were produced and how to read/use the report - see page 5 of the report for details.

MRRA Says:

Is Macedon Ranges back 'on the market' again now that it has a Council that comes across as a 'dummie' on planning, and seems to think almost every application for a planning permit should be a goer?   Hmm... it's worth watching because these figures confirm that there's an undesirable trend emerging in the official permit activity figures, and in the decisions Council is making. 

Luckily for residents, there's an election coming up in November, and in that regard these figures may turn out to be quite useful in helping convince voters how badly Macedon Ranges needs a 'different-thinking' Council...

2004/2005 Planning Permit Activity Report Now Out

(9/4/07 - P)  In 2004/05, planning permit applications in Macedon Ranges fell by 21% from 2003/04 (918 to 729) but that still means Macedon Ranges is a runner-up in the development stakes only to major rural cities and the metro area

Interesting stuff...  This is the second annual report from the State government on planning permit activity throughout Victoria.  Care is needed in interpreting the figures and it pays to read the Introduction and Part 5 of the report: "Limitations". 

Using the figures at face value, in Macedon Ranges the number of decisions made (applications decided) dropped by 4% from 2003/04 to 2004/05, and so did the number of permits that were approved.  The number of permits withdrawn or not required rose by 1%, and refused applications stayed the same: 1%.

The most 'popular' permits sought in 2003/04 (2004/05) were: One new dwelling 238 (145), residential alterations and additions 179 (151), buildings and works 137 (90) and subdivision 122 (119).  Applications for more than one dwelling on a lot fell from 30 to 20, and (thankfully) applications for vegetation removal fell from 73 to 54.  There were more applications for industry (24 v 25) and retail premises (24 v 31), but offices stayed the same (11 v 11).  Applications related to agriculture trailed in with a drop from 24 to 23.

A similar decrease in applications as occurred in Macedon Ranges was also a feature across the State where overall applications fell by 3% (to 53,260), the number of decisions made rose by 1% (to 36,771), permits approved remained the same percentage (63% or 33,648), as did refusals (2% or 1,311) and withdrawn or not required applications (3% or 1,812).  State-wide, far and away the most applications were made for residential alterations and additions (10,294) and subdivisions (9,982), followed by single houses (7,083).  Applications for vegetation removal, retail premises, signs, offices, industry, other accommodation, agriculture, and buildings and works increased; residential alterations, single houses, more than one new dwelling, other, subdivision, and parking applications all fell from 2003/2004 figures.

You can access the (large: 2MB) complete report on www.dse.vic.gov.au/planning

MRRA Says:

Great statistic, isn't it:  2% of applications are refused State-wide, but Macedon Ranges only manages to refuse 1% of the applications it gets.  Who wants to bet that figure sinks even lower next year when the first statistics under our post-2005, approve-everything Council come in (with apologies in particular to Crs. Gyorffy and Guthrie who do try to do the right thing)? And if the number of applications is falling, it also makes us wonder about the $260,000 Macedon Ranges' ratepayers have just handed over to get 3 additional planners, and whether it was entirely justified. 

The report also provides figures that allow an interesting comparison to be made of population densities in Macedon Ranges with densities in surrounding shires that also have drinking water catchments within their boundaries.  Now, let's see, here sits Macedon Ranges, an area of State significance, with drinking water catchments, high quality soils, high conservation values and so on, yet this Shire's population density is 21.6 persons per square kilometre - roughly double that of surrounding Shires with drinking water catchments:

It seems drinking water catchments aren't as important in Macedon Ranges as they are in other places, otherwise wouldn't you think that the suburban onslaught into Macedon Ranges and its drinking water catchments would have been stopped by now?