Step 3

Consultation with a range of stakeholders and community engagement is an important part of any State Project.

As notice and review requirements do not apply to the planning process for applicable state projects, it is expected that the proponent must undertake extensive consultation before commencement.

The consultation and engagement process be undertaken by the proponent. The Engage Victoria website provides consultation services for state projects.

The extent of consultation must be discussed and confirmed during pre-application.

The level and extent of consultation should reflect the scale and level of impacts of the development.

Additional consultation may be required or directed by the Minister.

The Minister may also directly seek the views of any party, where considered relevant.

Public authorities that must be consulted include those that are specified as a referral authority in the planning scheme. Any relevant referral authority advice about the proposed use or development must be provided as part of the application.

The application must address advice provided by a Determining Authority, and should address advice by a Recommending Authority. This is to be detailed in the consultation report and as part of the application documentation.

The advice should be provided in its original form (letter /email).

The Minister may also directly seek the views of the referral authority.

Consultation is often an ongoing process through the life of the project and the consultation undertaken must be summarized into a report.

The report should detail the public consultation and include the:

Consultation - Methodology

The who, how, when, why, and what will be done as part of the project consultation process.

Who are the relevant consultation groups?

For example:

• Council(s)
• Community groups
• Agencies
• Residents/occupiers
• Landowners

What type of consultation?

The consultation needs to reach the targeted audience and provide a range of opportunities to participate. The project impacts may create significant public interest. If so, how will the community be adequately informed about the impacts?

When the consultation occurred or will occur?

This may include stages of the consultation activities, to date and proposed in the future, as the project unfolds.

Why or reasons for the extent of distribution or targeted consultation

May be assisted by maps of the distribution area.

What detail was distributed during the consultation process?

This should include project detail about the:

• the extent of the project area
• concept plans or detailed plans, visualisations, landscape plans, or other material used to provide detail of the development
• vegetation/tree and biodiversity/environmental impacts or protections
• potential impacts
• planning approval process
• description, and representative samples, of material distributed to the community and stakeholders.

How was the feedback sought?

Include details of feedback tools, i.e. surveys, submissions, workshops etc.

How the feedback was collated, managed and considered in the project response.

At the time approval is sought for the consultation requirement there will be further stages of consultation associated with the detailed design and construction phases of the project. These should also be identified and detailed in the consultation report.

Provide detail about the:

• number of submissions received
• description of matters raised by submitters and how they have been considered
• responses to matters raised, including any resultant changes to design or construction methodology
• response to the council’s submission/concerns
• response to referral authority advice
• detail of any response provided back to submitter/stakeholder.

The consultation requirements may be varied or waived by the Minister for Planning.

A plan that shows the boundary of the land on which the use or development will be carried out. For some projects additional land is necessary for temporary or permanent occupation.

A site description and analysis plan that provides existing context detail. This may include both visual and written information.

The type and scale of project will determine the extent and level of detail provided about the strategic, precinct and interface context for the project.

Detail should include:

• Use
• Hours of operation
• The likely effects, if any, on the land and surrounding land and uses (e.g. noise, light spill, shadowing, vibration)

• In some instances, detailed plans may not be necessary. Concept plans may provide sufficient detail about the project from a planning perspective rather than detailed engineering drawings.
• Renders and /or photomontages should be provided to assist with visualizing the built form outcome for the project.
• It is also important to consider and represent any off-site amenity impacts the project may cause, i.e. shadow, visual bulk, overlooking etc.
• The project may benefit from a process of design review, i.e. The Office of Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) review or project design panel. The OVGA can assist in providing independent design assessments for all stages or specific stages of the project. There is no charge for this service for State government projects.
• Tree and vegetation removals, Tree Protection Zone (TPZ) encroachment or `no-go protection’ areas should be identified.

• A summary of the policy and strategic planning context of the declared project, including any underpinning plans or studies.

• Addresses how the proposed use or development responds to purposes, objectives, or statements of significance or risk of any zone, overlay, or other provision that would apply but for the planning exemptions. Detail the existing relevant planning controls and permit triggers and how the project has considered and responded to them. This can often be presented in a simple table format.

• Specify the relevant referral authorities from clause 66 of the planning scheme and if they have been provided with a copy of the application. This will be also detailed in the consultation requirement.

A report that details how each no EES required condition has been considered and addressed in the design, construction and operation of the proposed development.

A copy of any report, plan or other document required to be prepared under those conditions.

DELWP and the proponent will work together to ensure conditions are satisfied and considered in relation to the project approval.

Plans may be required for the management or mitigation of potential adverse effects or impacts on the environment or amenity from the proposed use or development, during and following construction.

These may be necessary due to the planning framework or type of project.

The type of plans may include:

• Environmental Management Framework
• Construction Environment Management Plan
• Flora and Fauna Management Plan
• Urban Design Guidelines or Statement
• Visual Impact

• Details of the stages of the project and schedule of works. This may also outline the anticipated application submission timeframes.
• In some instances, the project can be approved in stages which may allow preliminary works.

The Minister for Planning may consider additional information necessary to assist the assessment of the proposed use or development or the plans and documents required to be prepared under this clause.

Urban Design and Public Spaces Framework or Statement

• The positive and negative impacts on the public realm.
• Where relevant, urban design principles should guide the project.
• In some instances, as part of later stages of the project, stakeholder or community input may be sought into the public realm outcomes or the project might go through a design review process. Landscape concept plans and integration into the existing area is an important consideration with way finding and pedestrian/bicycle access where appropriate.

Tree, vegetation and biodiversity assessment reports

• The extent of vegetation, including native vegetation, and/or tree impacts (removals or greater than Tree Protection Zone 10%) will be identified on the detailed plans. Supporting documentation may be required, like an arborist report, flora and fauna assessment or targeted threatened species survey. It is understood that projects will have impacts on the environment which may be unavoidable, however, the potential impacts must be known, and avoidance and mitigation measures have been demonstrated before approval is sought or given.
• Vegetation or trees could be identified through a permit trigger via clause 52.17, overlays, or street trees or other community or council identified significant or landscape amenity trees.

Heritage

In some instances, there may be a heritage permit trigger, but the heritage place /significance will remain unaffected by the proposal. This should be detailed to determine if a Heritage Impact Statement is required

If a Cultural Heritage Management Plan is required or one is being prepared voluntarily, then its status and any conditions may require consideration in the proposal.

Contamination

Potential contamination should be identified and in most instances the matter should be referred to the Environment Protection Authority where relevant. Consult the Potentially Contaminated Land Practice Note for further guidance.