The Development Facilitation Program (DFP) is an accelerated assessment pathway for priority projects in identified sectors. The sectors target projects that will inject investment into the Victorian economy, keep people in jobs and create homes for people.
The DFP criteria has been expanded to include eligible medium to high density residential projects that provide a substantial affordable housing contribution. The Victorian government is committed to improving housing supply in well serviced locations and increase the supply of social and affordable housing across the state.
The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) can consider new applications or existing planning applications facing undue delays in the planning system that meet the DFP eligibility criteria.
Projects may be facilitated using the following pathways:
| Further information on Clause 53.22 and Clause 53.23 permit applications. |
| Applications that cannot be considered via Clause 53.22 or Clause 53.23 but continue to meet the DFP eligibility criteria can be considered via these pathways. A summary of the DFP project selection and assessment process for this pathway can found below. |
Refer to the below document for a summary of the DFP project selection and assessment process for planning scheme amendments:
The Minister for Planning is the responsible authority for all applications submitted under the above provisions.
The DFP eligibility criteria that all applications (no matter which pathway) must meet are stepped out below.
All applications must meet the DFP eligibility criteria or be declared by the Minister for Planning as a priority project to qualify for accelerated assessment and determination.
Meeting the DFP criteria does not guarantee a project will be endorsed for accelerated assessment or that the Minister for Planning or DTP (under delegation) will approve the project. All applications are assessed on planning merit which includes the following:
The final decision on a request is made by the Minister for Planning or delegated to DTP.
An application to the DFP must demonstrate a project is shovel ready. This means the project has investment certainty or capacity to secure funding.
Applications must be submitted with written advice from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Invest Victoria confirming the likely financial feasibility and investment certainty of the proposal. DTP officers will provide instructions for obtaining this written advice during the DFP pre-application enquiry process.
Further information on this process can be found below.
Planning scheme amendments to facilitate regional housing or Category 2, Clause 53.22 and Clause 53.23 planning permit applications may be exempt from requiring a quantity surveyor report and written advice from the CEO, Invest Vic. DTP officers will provide advice during the DFP pre-application enquiry process.
An application to the DFP must include a development component that can commence construction within 12 months of approval.
An application to the DFP must meet one of the priority sector eligibility criteria listed in the table below.
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $20 million DC |
Agriculture
Aquaculture
Animal Production
Timber Production
Industry
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $20 million DC |
Data centre
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $20 million DC |
Tertiary institution
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $20 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $30 million DC |
Hospital
Medical centre
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $30 million DC |
Office
Research centre
Research and development centre
Industry
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $20 million DC |
Earth and energy resources industry
Extractive industry
Mining
Mineral exploration
| State | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Earth and energy resources industry | $30 million DC |
| Extractive industry | the estimated value of the resource to be extracted must be at least $30 million |
| Mining and mineral exploration | $10 million DC |
Office
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | 5,000 sqm GFA |
| Metropolitan | 10,000 sqm GFA |
Accommodation (other than camping and caravan park, group accommodation and residential hotel)
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $15 million DC and must deliver at least 10 per cent of the total number of dwellings in the development as affordable housing. If the application has a rezoning component the following must be met:
|
| Metropolitan | $50 million DC and must deliver at least 10 per cent of the total number of dwellings in the development as affordable housing. If the application has a rezoning component the following must be met:
|
Retail premises (other than food and drink premises)
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $20 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $100 million DC |
Motor racing track
Residential hotel
Camping and caravan park
Group accommodation
Restaurant
Hotel
Leisure and recreation
Exhibition centre
Function centre
Recreational boat facility
Winery
Place of assembly
Major sports and recreation facility
Minor sports and recreation facility
Outdoor recreation facility
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $5 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $10 million DC |
Warehouse
Store
| Location | Threshold/Criteria |
|---|---|
| Regional | $10 million DC |
| Metropolitan | $30 million DC |
*DC = Development cost
What does ‘development cost’ mean?
The cost of the proposed development. This cost does not include the costs of development that you would undertake without a permit or that are separate from the permit process. Development costs should be calculated at a normal industry rate for the type of construction you propose.
An application to the DFP must be accompanied by a quantity surveyor report verifying the cost of development.
Not all projects are eligible for the program, including:
DTP provides pre-application services to provide preliminary feedback, help applicants determine if their project is eligible for the program, and identify information to include in an application. DTP may involve councils and referral agencies as required.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a pre-application enquiry before lodging a DFP application.
You can submit a DFP application for:
To get you started, DFP Preliminary Application Requirements (PARs) for all DFP pathways are provided below:
A response to the DFP PARs must be submitted with all DFP applications.
DTP may request you undertake a design review with the Office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA) during assessment of your application. DTP officers will advise you of the likelihood of this process being required for your application during the DFP pre-application enquiry process.
DTP uses a case management approach to identify and manage projects in the DFP. A dedicated facilitation team has been established within DTP to oversee the program and an independent probity advisor was engaged to ensure a robust and transparent process is maintained.
All projects will be considered under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 including probity and confidentiality and will be subject to the same level of rigorous assessment and opportunity for consultation as per the standard assessment process.
The Minister for Planning appointed the Development Facilitation Program Standing Advisory Committee (DFPSAC), comprising Victorian Government executives, to review and oversee all planning scheme amendment requests that come through the program.
The DFPSAC will monitor the program via regular reporting. It will also monitor all reporting on DTP’s business as usual statutory planning functions, such as planning scheme amendments and planning permits. This will ensure all statutory decisions where the Minister for Planning is responsible are made in a timely manner.
Page last updated: 19/11/23
