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About VicPlan

VicPlan is a state wide map viewer for location based planning scheme information. You can use it to locate any property or parcel in Victoria using the address/parcel search, or by browsing on the map. You can also access direct links to the planning rules for a site in the planning scheme.

From VicPlan you can create a Planning property or parcel report with localised maps showing the zone and overlays. You can also access VicPlan via the maps in planning schemes.

Zone and overlay spatial data is updated weekly.

Go to VicPlan

Watch the video to see how VicPlan works.

VicPlan demonstration

Searching in VicPlan

To find a property or parcel of land in VicPlan:

  1. type a search term into the search box
  2. select a result from the suggestion list
  3. the area will highlight on the map and details will be displayed in an information panel next to the map.

If you don't see options in the suggestion list, either type more of the address or alter the details entered slightly to change the suggestions. Only the top 5 results are shown.

Type enough of the address to make it distinguishable from similar addresses. You can use abbreviations, for example St for Street.

VicPlan address search

You can search in VicPlan by:

Search typeExample
Address21 Smith Avenue Thomastown 3074
Parcel or lot on plan7\RP4959
Parcel property numberP204293
Property LGA number124207
Lot on streetLot 1 Smith Avenue Croydon
StreetSmith Street Albert Park
LocalityAlbert Park
Postcode3181
ParishMoorpanyal
Local Government AreaBayside
Heritage Inventory Site nameRoyal Park Hospital Precinct
Heritage Inventory NumberH7822-0436
Heritage Register NumberH1926
Heritage Register Site NameBraille Library & Hall
Heritage Inventory Hermes Number13925
Heritage Register Hermes Number11566
Crown Land: use combination of Allot, Sec, Sub, Por, Blk with Parish nameParish Ararat Allot 1 Sec 15A

Some search types require a certain format – refer to the examples in the list.

A parcel an individual piece of land that can be sold separately, and is also known as a lot. It usually has one proprietor or owner. An example of a parcel descriptor is 1\LP23402.

A property is land, typically identified by a street address or a rate assessment number, that is under common occupation for the purpose of rating, billing or habitation. A property can be made up of one parcel or contain many parcels, or be one part of a parcel or parcels. An example of a property address is 23 Diamond Avenue Glen Waverley 3150.

When searching for a parcel or lot on plan number, use a backslash: '\'. VicPlan uses the standard parcel identifier number, which is the lot and plan numbers separated by a backslash.

If you don’t have a search term, browse the map by:

  1. select and dragging the map to a location
  2. zoom in or out to see more or less detail
  3. select a location to see a list of property and parcel options in the information panel next to the map
  4. choose an option from the list – that location will be centred in the map and details displayed in the information panel.
VicPlan browse map

Selecting a property or parcel

You can only click on a location when zones and overlays are visible – at a scale of 1:25,000 or lower.

Select a site to bring up property and parcel options in the property information panel. Links to the local planning scheme for each zone and overlay appear in the property information panel.

Select property or parcel screen shot
Selecting a property or parcel in VicPlan

To get more information about a selected property or location, use the ‘Identify’ button. Identify displays the zones, overlay or LGA layer, and the property information panel provides a selection based on the information in the selected point.

Right click on a location in the map to ‘Find data on the map’ to retrieve similar data, including the latitude and longitude coordinate.

Identify feature screen shot
Use Identify to see more information about a property or parcel

Download a planning property or parcel report

A planning property report is a download that contains all the zone and overlay information for the selected property or parcel, and a series of maps with links to sections of the local planning scheme.

To download a property report:

  1. search for and select a property or parcel (see above)
  2. on the property information panel, select 'Create planning property report'.

A planning property report can not be generated on proposed properties or parcels. These display as black hatching and cross hatching on the map.

You can also generate a planning property report on this website.

Select property or parcel screen shot
Select a property or parcel and generate a planning property report

Zones and overlays

Zones and overlays are only visible at a scale view of 1:25,000 or lower. Zoom in to see them.

Each planning zone and overlay can be selected by clicking the 'Layer list' in the toolbar or the 'Layers' menu in the property information panel.

If you are unable to find the zone or overlay you want to turn on or off, use the 'Filter' search bar in the 'Layer list' to change the colour transparency.

The toolbar buttons and 'Layer list' update visible zones and overlays for the entire state so you can zoom in and out with zone and overlays selected.

Zones or overlays do not default back to the original view after you have made your selection. Reselect the layers that have been turned off to return to the default view.

Independent Layer Control Screenshot
Selecting individual layers or zones

Zone and overlay codes

Every planning scheme zone and overlay control has a unique code that is a combination of colour, text and numbers.

Tthe property information panel shows the planning scheme zone or overlay, its colour on the map, the zone code and its corresponding ordinance documentation.

Planning scheme zones and overlays in the property information panel

View historical zones, overlays or property boundaries

To view historic planning scheme zones, overlays, amendments and associated property boundaries:

  1. locate the property on the map
  2. go to the layer control panel
  3. turn off the current planning scheme and property layers and turn on the historic planning scheme and historic property layers
  4. select the time slider tool
  5. change the slider to a different point in time
  6. if there have been changes, the map will change according to the date on the slider.
VicPlan historical planning options

View the map using a time range by changing the 'Time mode' in the time slider 'More settings' option. This allows you to view from date 1 to date 2, instead of a single point in time.

You can step forward and backward or play a timeline to animate changes over time.

VicPlan screen with zone layer activated and the time slider settings displayed.

View changes over time using the Time slider settings

Historic planning scheme amendments will display 3 years of zone and overlay changes.

To view:

  1. go to the layer control panel
  2. expand the 'Historical amendments' option
  3. turn on either 'Zone amendments' or 'Overlay amendments'.

This will display the last 3 years of amendments colour coded.

VicPlan showing historic amendment areas colour coded.

Viewing historical amendments in VicPlan

Planning scheme historical information is available online.

VicPlan also provides access to Historic Zoning Maps from 1954, 1959, 1968 and 1985. These layers are available under the planning scheme folder under 'Historic Zoning Maps'.

Bushfire prone areas and the Bushfire Management Overlay

There are 2 ways find out whether bushfire controls apply to your property.

  1. Create a planning property report – the report contains bushfire controls that may affect your property:
    • the Bushfire Management Overlay (BMO) in the planning overlays section
    • Bushfire prone area (BPA) in the designated bushfire prone areas section.
  2. View the map – locate the property on the map and open the layers menu at the bottom left of the screen:
    • Uncheck the Planning scheme folder
    • Scroll to the Bushfire folder, expand the menu and select it to turn on the layer in the map
    • If BMO and BPA layers exist in your area they will be displayed on the map.
    • Bushfire controls apply if the BMO or BPA layers intersect your property.

Find out about building in bushfire prone areas or the Bushfire Management Overlay.

Read about bushfire mapping and reviews of bushfire prone areas and zones.

BPA_map
A typical view of the bushfire prone area layer and property boundaries.

The BPA history layer is located in the Bushfire folder in the layer control. It contains historic bushfire prone areas from 2005.

To view historic layers:

  • go to an area of interest and zoom in or set the map scale within 1:100,000
  • turn on the 'BPA History' layer
  • select the 'Time slider' button on the main toolbar above the map and expand the options
  • select 'More settings' and change the Time Slider Profile to 'BPA History'
  • the BPA History layer will display on the map and you can step forward or back on the slider to view the BPA at different points in time.

VicPlan map showing time slider control at top of page over BPA history layer

Bushfire prone area in 2013-2014.

Specific dates are stored in each polygon as attributes and displayed on the map when zoomed into 1:1,250 map scale.

BPA History layer in VicPlan shows date label displayed in polygon on map

Create a definition plan

A definition plan is a diagram for a property showing the location of planning zones, overlays and bushfire prone areas when they do not cover the entire property or parcel title boundary. The plans show the distance between the zone, overlays or BPA boundaries and the selected property boundaries.

Definition plans are available for properties that are partially impacted by a zone, overlay or BPA. Definition plans can not be generated if a property is fully covered or not impacted at all by a zone, overlay or BPA.

To create a definition plan:

  1. go to VicPlan and open the 'Tools' menu
  2. select the Definition Plan button
  3. select an option and 'Next':
    • Zones and Overlays
    • Bushfire Prone Areas (BPA)
  4. select a search type, enter the property or parcel details and search
  5. VicPlan checks if the property is partially covered by a zone, overlay or BPA
    • If the property is not partially impacted, a notification displays that the plan cannot be generated for that location.
  6. enter your email and submit.
  7. the selected definition plan in PDF format is sent to the nominated email. Emails can take up to 10 minutes to send.
BPA_Defplan_dims
Example BPA definition plan

Mark up and measure on a map

Add points, text, lines or shapes

The mark up tools allow you to place marks or text, highlight and draw on a map. To access mark up:

  • go to the 'Tools' menu
  • select the dropdown arrow next to 'Point' on the toolbar to change the type of mark up: points, text, lines or shapes
  • you can change colours in the styles menu, erase parts or clear the mark up entirely using the options in the toolbar
  • while the mark up is selected, you can't use other features or zoom or pan the map – de-select the button to turn it off and return to zoom and pan mode.

To save or print a map, go to the 'Home' menu and select ‘Export’.

Measure an area

There are 2 ways to measure areas of features on the map:

1. Auto measure

  • select the property or area on the map
  • go to the property information panel
  • open the dropdown menu and choose 'Measure Area'
  • dimensions and area of the location are displayed on the map
  • to remove, go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Clear'.

2. Free hand measure

  • go to the 'Tools' menu
  • select the dropdown on the 'Distance' button and change to 'Area'
  • select points on the map to create an area
  • 'Enable snapping' will snap the line you draw to a layer on the map so you can be more accurate
  • while 'Area' is selected, you can't use other features or zoom or pan the map – de-select the button to turn it off and return to zoom and pan mode.

To save or print a map, go to the 'Home' menu and select ‘Export’

c
Measure an area using VicPlan

Measure distances

  • go to the 'Tools' menu
  • select the 'Distance' button and the measurement option(s) required
  • select a start point on the map, move to the end point and double click to complete
  • for multiple measurements, select a start point, move to the next point and select each subsequent measure, then double click to complete the total distance.
  • while 'Distance' is selected, you can't use other features or zoom or pan the map – de-select the button to turn it off and return to zoom and pan mode.

For accurate mesauring, turn on 'Enable Snapping' to allows measurements to snap to features on the map. Use 'Select Snapping Layers' to choose specific layers.

Measure Distance
VicPlan measure distance on a map

Basemap options

VicPlan has 4 base map options:

  • Colour: default base map.
  • Greyscale: a Mapscape base map designed for better zone or overlay comparison to the base map. This base is available up to a 1:5,000 scale.
  • Aerial: shows the map with satellite imagery. Shows different landscapes on the map, for example vegetation.
  • Hybrid: view map and aerial imagery at the same time. Select Hybrid and Aerial in the 'Layer list' to view Hybrid.

Change the basemap by selecting the 'Map' icon or the 'Layer list'. Transparency sliders weaken or strengthen the colours on the basemap.

Greyscale base map screenshot
Greyscale basemap for better comparison of zones and overlays

VicPlan releases

New data

  • Future Homes datasets accessible under the Planning Scheme Folder of the Layers panel.
  • Improvements to BPA Definition Plan and Water & Power Utilities map containing clearer boundaries in the Layer Catalogue.

New data

  • Melbourne Airport noise contours from Melbourne Airport’s 2022 Master Plan in the Airport folder of the Layers panel.
  • Biodiversity Conservation Areas as part of Melbourne Strategic Assessment in the Growth Areas folder of the Layers panel.

New data

  • Special Water Supply Catchment Areas (SWSCA) replaces the Designated/Proclaimed Water Supply Catchment Areas. This layer is now accessible from the Layers panel in the Water and Catchment folder.
  • State Project boundaries approved under Clause 52.03 of the planning scheme includes Level Crossing Removal Projects available in the Planning Scheme folder of the Layers panel.
  • Victorian Planning Authority Precinct Boundaries now accessible from the Layer Catalogue under the Map tab.

New data

Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and updated Water Irrigation Districts layers have been added to VicPlan’s Layer Catalogue.

VicPlan feedback

We are keen to engage with VicPlan users to design future features of VicPlan. Use the feedback form in the 'Home' menu on the toolbar.

New features

  • Improved Filter tool - a new link in the information panel to quickly filter the map.
  • Metadata link added to all Zone & Overlay layers to view the data currency and other useful information on these layers.
  • Improvements to the Bushfire Prone Area (BPA) Definition Plan tool.

New data

  • Planning Scheme Overlay history layer updated to include Buffer Area Overlay (BAO).

New data

Introduction of new Buffer Area Overlay - BAO added to the Land Management subfolder in VicPlan.

New feature

  • New Definition Plan for Bushfire Prone Areas layer to locate BPA where it does not coincide with a property boundary.
  • Feedback enhancement to include specific feedback types to better manage and guide user enquiries.

New data

  • Precinct Structure Plans and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) Legislated Boundary added to the Layer catalogue.
  • Links to the new ordinance pages have been updated in VicPlan.

New data

  • VicPlan Road Zones and Public Use Zone 4 – Transport zone are being replaced by new Transport Zones.
  • View the Recognition and Settlement Agreement and the National Native Title Tribunal Spatial Data layers.
  • Principal Freight Network layers now included in the Transport folder.
  • Improved map labels speeds up the map display. House number, property address and parcel labels are much faster to display as duplication in built up areas have been removed.

New features

  • New Transport layers reflect the State Transport System:
    • Principal Bicycle Network
    • Strategic Cycling Corridors
    • Principal Public Transport Network
    • Regional & Metropolitan Rail
    • Principal Road Network
    • Principal Transport Gateways.
  • Time Slider max date updated to reflect recent BPA History update. This also assists Historical Planning Scheme Zones, Overlays & Bushfire History.

New features

  • Protected Settlement Boundary (PSB) layer added following introduction in the planning scheme – also forms part of the Planning Property Report in the Planning Overlays section.
  • Fix to the Time Slider dates for layers using this feature.

New features

  • My Location Tool – a geo-location feature useful for mobile devices to pinpoint your device location on the map.
  • Heritage Overlay Search – improved search for Heritage Overlay numbers within specific Local Government Areas and planning schemes.
  • New server infrastructure
  • Fixes to VPP ordinance links
  • Improvements to the search tool for wind and solar farms, heritage sites (HERMES and Victorian Heritage Numbers).

New features

  • Planning scheme amendment search tool in the Map menu in the main toolbar
  • Shortcut buttons to turn ON/OFF all zones and overlays in the main toolbar
  • Postcode and parish name included in the search
  • Additional help in the FAQ section on bushfire control impacts

New data

  • Special Water Supply Catchment Area
  • Catchment Management Authority boundaries
  • Water authority boundaries and many other administrative boundaries

New data layers are accessible via the Layer catalogue in the Map menu of the main toolbar. See the Boundary and utility folders in the Layer catalogue.

New data

  • History of planning scheme zones, overlays, amendments and property boundaries at a point in time
  • Exhibited Map Amendments with additional layer highlighting new exhibitions
  • Wetlands data including Ramsar Sites and Extractive Industry Work Authorities added to the Layer catalogue
  • 1985 historic planning scheme map repaired and now available

New features

  • Try the new time slider to interact with histories of the planning scheme and associated property layer
  • Link from each map Amendment to the Amendments web page for status and details
  • Search by Hermes number for Heritage Inventory and Register sites
  • Search by Crown land descriptors, eg. Parish Barp Allot 27A Sec F (27A~F\PP2080)
  • Measure Area tool for simple and accurate areas of property and other features

  • Switching between base maps issue has now been resolved
  • Overlay Filter tool issue resolved
  • Planning Scheme Overlay display resolved

  • Customise the styles of both property and parcel map layers
  • User survey available on start up
  • Repair to the historic 1985 planning scheme map, missing sections replaced
  • Fix of overlay map labels

  • New data catalogue from which additional map layers can be added to VicPlan
  • New Overlay intersector tool, extends existing Zone intersector function to overlays
  • Improved map layer styling to better distinguish Planning Scheme Overlays and other map layers
  • New data includes all catalog layers, ie. Precinct Structure Plan areas, ABS Population, land use, vegetation and many more layers

Page last updated: 17/01/24