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1. Planning Policy Framework verbs
The list below suggests verbs to use and those to avoid when writing strategies for the PPF. A verb is not automatically suitable because it is included in this list.
Verbs must be chosen carefully to achieve the intended outcome.
Encouraging verbs
- Allow: to grant permission to or for
- Assist: to give support, help or aid
- Enable: to make possible or easy
- Enhance: to raise to a higher degree, intensify or magnify
- Encourage: tostimulate by assistance; approval
- Facilitate: to make easier or less difficult
- Improve: to bring into a more desirable or excellent condition
- Promote: to further the growth, development, progress of; encourage
- Prioritise: to give priority to
- Strengthen: to make stronger
- Support: to uphold by aid; advocacy or endorsement
- Upgrade: to assign to a higher status; to improve
Protective verbs
- Conserve: to keep in a safe or sound state; preserve from loss, decay, waste or injury
- Maintain: to keep in existence or continuance; preserve; retain; to keep in due condition, operation or force.
- Preserve: to keep alive or in existence; make lasting; to keep safe from harm or injury
- Protect: to cover or shield from injury or danger
- Respect: to treat with consideration; relate or have reference to
- Retain: to keep possession of; to continue to use, practise; to hold in place or position
Conclusive verbs
- Avoid: keep away from or keep clear of
- Ensure: tomake sure or certain to occur
- Prevent: to keep from occurring; hinder
Discouraging verbs
- Limit: to confine or keep within limits; to restrict
- Minimise: to reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree
- Reduce: to bring down to a smaller extent, size, amount; to lower in degree, intensity
- Restrict: to confine or keep within limits as of space, action, choice or quantity
- Discourage: to express disapproval of; to dissuade from; to obstruct by opposition
Neutral verbs
(could encourage or discourage depending on context)
- Accommodate: to find or provide space for (something); to make suitable or consistent
- Allocate: to set apart for a particular purpose; assign or allot
- Concentrate: to bring or draw to a common centre or point of union; cause to come close together
- Connect: to join or unite; link
- Consolidate: to unite or combine; to strengthen
- Coordinate: to place or arrange in due order or proper relative position; to combine in harmonious relation or action
- Create: to bring into being; cause to exist; produce.
- Define: to determine or fix the boundaries or extent of; to make clear the outline or form of; to explain the nature or essential qualities of
- Deliver: to give forth or produce
- Demonstrate: to make evident by arguments or reasoning; prove
- Design: a plan to be executed or constructed; a plan; a project; a scheme
- Develop: to bring to a more advanced or effective state; to cause to grow or expand
- Direct: to regulate the course of; conduct; manage; control; to point or aim towards a place or an object
- Establish: to set up or bring about; to settle or install in a position
- Focus: (to make) a central point of attraction, attention or activity; to concentrate
- Implement: to put (a plan, proposal etc.) into effect
- Increase: to make greater in any respect; augment; add to
- Locate: to set, fix or establish in a place, situation or locality
- Manage: to take charge or care of; to handle, direct, govern or control in action or use
- Offset: to balance by something else as an equivalent; to compensate for
- Plan: a scheme of action or procedure; a design or scheme or arrangement
- Provide: to furnish or supply
- Reinforce: to strengthen; make more forcible or effective
- Reserve: to keep back or save for future use, disposal, treatment; to retain or secure by express stipulation
- Restore: to bring back to a former, original or normal condition
- Specify: to mention or name specifically or definitively; to give a specific character to
- Transition: to move from one state, position or stage to another
- Undertake: to warrant or guarantee; to take in charge
Verbs to avoid
(provide little/no direction)
- Consider: to think carefully; to view attentively or scrutinise
- Recognise: to perceive as existing or true; to acknowledge formally as existing
- Acknowledge: to admit to be real or true; to indicate appreciation or gratitude for; to certify the receipt of
(controls cannot be included in policy)
- Require: to place under an obligation or necessity
Clause | PPF heading | Policy content |
---|---|---|
11 | SETTLEMENT | |
11.01 | Victoria | |
11.01-1 | Settlement | Settlement within Metropolitan Melbourne and the eight regional growth plan areas. Settlement planning for cities and townships. Metropolitan Melbourne green wedges. |
11.02 | Managing growth | |
11.02-1 | Supply of urban land | The provision of land (residential, commercial, industrial etc.) and infrastructure to support development and meet forecast demand. |
11.02-2 | Structure planning | Precinct Structure Plans for growth areas. |
11.02-3 | Sequencing of development | Managing development in growth areas so services are available early for new communities. |
11.03 | Planning for places | |
11.03-1 | Activity centres | Networks of activity centres. Development of activity centres (such as those based on strategic framework plans). |
11.03-2 | Growth areas | Location of urban growth. Growth Area Framework Plans. |
11.03-3 | Peri-urban areas | Management of growth in peri-urban areas. Protecting valued qualities including environmental, cultural or economic. |
11.03-4 | Coastal settlement | Planning for sustainable coastal development through:
|
11.03-5 | Distinctive areas and landscapes | Identified and declared distinctive areas. Includes areas with Localised Planning Statements (such as for the Bellarine Peninsula or Yarra Ranges). Managing impacts along the Great Ocean Road. |
11.03-6 | Regional and local places | Place-based policies that relate to a place that is not covered by clauses 11.01, 11.02 or 11.03-1 to 11.03-5 – such as a township, an urban renewal precinct or a strategic redevelopment area. This clause can only be used for policies that meet all of the criteria outlined in the Place-based policy checklist. |
12 | ENVIRONMENTAL AND LANDSCAPE VALUES | |
12.01 | Biodiversity | |
12.01-1 | Protection of biodiversity | Identifying and protecting areas of biodiversity including important areas of biodiversity. Providing links between areas of biodiversity. Planting and tree cover to increase habitat. |
12.01-2 | Native vegetation management | Removal of native vegetation resulting in no net loss to biodiversity. For more general vegetation management see 12.01-1 Protection of biodiversity. |
12.02 | Marine and coastal environment | |
12.02-1 | Protection of the marine and coastal environment | Protecting natural and environmental values of coastal areas. Managing marine development and infrastructure. Protecting cultural heritage. Coastal acid and sulfate soils. |
12.02-2 | Marine and coastal Crown land | |
12.03 | Water bodies and wetlands | |
12.03-1 | River corridors, waterways, lakes and wetlands | Water bodies of all kinds except marine and bay environments. Dams – where the principal concern is interfering with the flow of a waterway. The Yarra River. |
12.04 | Alpine areas | |
12.04-1 | Sustainable development in alpine areas | |
12.05 | Significant environments and landscapes | |
12.05-1 | Environmentally sensitive areas | Protection of environmentally sensitive areas with significant recreational value. |
12.05-2 | Landscapes | Significant landscapes and open spaces that are not distinctive landscapes identified at Clause 11.03-5. |
13 | ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AND AMENITY | |
13.01 | Climate change impacts | |
13.01-1 | Natural hazards and climate change | Climate change – General matters. Natural hazards – General considerations not otherwise addressed in clauses 13.02, 13.03 and 13.04. |
13.01-2 | Coastal inundation and erosion | Coastal impacts of climate change. River and coastal development susceptible to inundation and erosion. |
13.02 | Bushfire | |
13.02-1 | Bushfire planning | Bushfire planning for land affected by the Bushfire Management Overlay or included in a Bushfire Prone Area. |
13.03 | Floodplains | |
13.03-1 | Floodplain management | Managing floodplains. Mitigation of negative impacts of flooding including the protection of life and property. Dams – where the principal concern is reducing flooding impacts. |
13.04 | Soil degradation | |
13.04-1 | Contaminated and potentially contaminated land | |
13.04-2 | Erosion and landslip | Land degradation processes – management of use and development in areas prone to landslip, erosion etc. Dams – as relevant to erosion or landslip. |
13.04-3 | Salinity | |
13.05 | Noise | |
13.05-1 | Noise abatement | Using building design, urban design and land separation techniques to manage noise effects on sensitive land uses. |
13.06 | Air quality | |
13.06-1 | Air quality management | Integration of land use and transport to improve air quality through reduced emissions. Separating uses that generate emissions and more sensitive uses. |
13.07 | Amenity, human health and safety | |
13.07-1 | Land use compatibility | Amenity, human health and safety impact management. Off-site impacts from commercial, industrial and other uses. Conflicts between uses within a zone (e.g. non-residential uses in residential zones or caretaker’s residences in industrial areas. Interface impacts between different zones (e.g. dwellings that abut an industrial zone. Licensed premises – managing the amenity impacts they generate. Sexually explicit entertainment venues – managing the amenity impacts they generate. |
13.07-2 | Major hazard facilities | Minimising the potential risk to humans and property from major hazard facilities. Providing for the ongoing viability of major hazard facilities. |
13.07-3 | Live Music | |
14 | NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | |
14.01 | Agriculture | |
14.01-1 | Protection of agricultural land | Protection of productive agricultural land. Criteria for the assessment of non-agricultural uses in farming zones. Housing in agricultural zones: excisions, development, subdivisions (excludes rural residential development). |
14.01-2 | Sustainable agricultural land use | Animal husbandry and other animal industries including animal keeping, training, breeding. Horticulture. Sustainable management of ongoing agricultural land use. |
14.01-3 | Forestry and timber production | |
14.02 | Water | |
14.02-1 | Catchment planning and management | Protecting and restoring the natural function of catchments. |
14.02-2 | Water quality | Protecting surface and ground water quality. Managing land use and development to protect impacts on downstream water quality or flow. |
14.02-3 | Protection of declared irrigation districts | |
14.03 | Earth and energy resources | |
14.03-1 | Resource exploration and extraction | |
15 | BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE | |
15.01 | Built environment | |
15.01-1 | Urban design | Urban design. Signs – placement, appearance and treatment of different types of signs (except signs along a transport route that forms part of the transport system such as Eastlink or the Metropolitan Ring Road, which belong under Clause 18.02-3 Road system). |
15.01-2 | Building design | Building design including: residential, commercial and industrial. |
15.01-3 | Subdivision design |
|
15.01-4 | Healthy neighbourhoods | Designing a physical environment that supports:
|
15.01-5 | Neighbourhood character | |
15.01-6 | Design for rural areas | Design in rural areas including:
|
15.02 | Sustainable Development | |
15.02-1 | Energy and resource efficiency | Energy use reduction – through building design such as orientation, passive heating and cooling, natural ventilation. Vegetation retention and planting as part of development and subdivision to help cool the environment and help combat climate change. |
15.03 | Heritage | |
15.03-1 | Heritage conservation | Managing development of heritage places. Excludes statements of significance or detailed, place-specific design guidelines. These are to be incorporated into the schedule to the Heritage Overlay (see PPN 01- Applying the Heritage Overlay for more information). |
15.03-2 | Aboriginal cultural heritage | |
16 | HOUSING | |
16.01 | Residential development | |
16.01-1 | Housing supply | Facilitating well-located, integrated and diverse housing that meets community needs.
|
16.01-2 | Housing affordability | Supporting housing affordability through:
|
16.01-3 | Rural residential development | Housing in areas where rural residential development is expected or preferred – excludes dwellings and dwelling lot excisions in the Farming Zone – see Clause 14.01-1 Protection of agricultural land. |
16.01-4 | Community care accommodation | Facilitating the confidential establishment of community care facilities. |
16.01-5 | Residential aged care facilities | Facilitating the development of residential aged care facilities that:
|
17 | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | |
17.01 | Employment | |
17.01-1 | Diversified economy | Facilitating growth in emerging employment sectors. Protecting existing employment areas and planning for new ones. Growing and diversifying rural economies. |
17.01-2 | Innovation and research | Facilitating growth in the knowledge economy. Supporting the development of business clusters. Innovation and research precinct development (e.g. the Latrobe employment cluster). |
17.02 | Commercial | |
17.02-1 | Business | Meeting the community’s need for retail, entertainment, office and other commercial services. |
17.02-2 | Out-of-centre development | Managing out-of-centre development to not undermine existing centres and provide a net community benefit. |
17.03 | Industry | |
17.03-1 | Industrial land supply | Allocating sufficient land for all industrial needs. |
17.03-2 | Sustainable industry | Protecting the viability of industries through buffer distances, their location and other measures. |
17.03-3 | State significant industrial land | Protecting industrial land of state significance to allow for future growth. |
17.04 | Tourism | |
17.04-1 | Facilitating tourism | Excludes what is captured under Clause 17.04-2 Coastal and maritime tourism and recreation. |
17.04-2 | Coastal and maritime tourism and recreation | |
18 | TRANSPORT | |
18.01 | Land use and transport | |
18.01-1 | Land use and transport integration | Integrating land use and transport to develop a transport system that facilitates access to social, cultural, and economic activities. |
18.01-2 | Transport system | Location and design of new transport routes for all modes. Locating and designing movement networks to balance the needs of different users of the transport system. |
18.01-3 | Sustainable and safe transport | Designing a safe transport system that promotes health and wellbeing and is sustainable. |
18.02 | Movement networks | |
18.02-1 | Walking | Encouraging efficient and safe walking networks that link with the transport system. Improving walking infrastructure. |
18.02-2 | Cycling | Encouraging efficient and safe bicycle networks that link with the transport system. Protecting and improving Strategic Cycling Corridors. Improving cycling infrastructure. |
18.02-3 | Public Transport | Integrating major transport projects with public transport infrastructure. Protecting and developing the Principal Public Transport Network and Regional Rail. Integrating land use and development with public transport infrastructure. |
18.02-4 | Roads | Design of road networks and declared roads and freeways. Design for safe movement of people and goods. Protecting and development of the Principal Road Network. Allocating land for car parking based on demand taking into account all modes of transport. Efficient provision and use of car parking facilities. Design and location of car parking facilities. |
18.02-5 | Freight | Protecting and developing the Principal Freight Network. Improving freight and logistics system and precincts. |
18.02-6 | Ports | |
18.02-7 | Airports and airfields | |
19 | INFRASTRUCTURE | |
19.01 | Energy | |
19.01-1 | Energy supply | Facilitating development of energy supply infrastructure including at a local level to help diversify local economies. Supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. |
19.01-2 | Renewable energy | Renewable energy facilities on a commercial scale. |
19.01-3 | Pipeline infrastructure | Pipeline infrastructure provision and protection. |
19.02 | Community infrastructure | |
19.02-1 | Health facilities | Includes, hospitals, medical centres, health and health-related facilities and the like. |
19.02-2 | Education facilities | Includes childcare, early learning centres, kindergartens and the like. |
19.02-3 | Cultural facilities | Increasing access to arts, recreation and other cultural facilities. |
19.02-4 | Social and cultural infrastructure | Providing a fairer distribution of and access to social and cultural infrastructure, including community facilities. |
19.02-5 | Emergency services | Emergency service infrastructure location. |
19.02-6 | Open space | Public open space areas – distribution and/or management. |
19.03 | Development infrastructure | |
19.03-1 | Development and infrastructure contributions plans | Development Contribution Plans. Infrastructure Contribution Plans. |
19.03-2 | Infrastructure design and provision | Subdivision – providing an integrated approach to the planning and engineering design of new subdivisions. Engineering design for subdivisions - Infrastructure Design Manual. |
19.03-3 | Integrated water management | Water supply, treatment and re-use including alternative water sources such as rainwater collection. Sewerage. Drainage. Dams – where the principal concern is more general water supply. Stormwater – quality, management and treatment. Water sensitive urban design (WSUD). |
19.03-4 | Telecommunications | Telecommunication facilities and infrastructure. |
19.03-5 | Waste and resource recovery | Waste and resource recovery – infrastructure provision. Waste reduction. Waste facilities – appropriate provision – including domestic, commercial and industrial. |
Disclaimer
This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.
Page last updated: 09/06/23