We represent and advise councils in the areas of planning and building. Member councils are able to provide direct input through our Planning Committee as well as a number of issue-specific technical working groups we convene as required.

Current priorities

We are involved in capacity-building reform projects, and we represent councils in numerous State-led reviews and reforms in the planning and building spaces.

Our key areas of focus for planning and building include:

• The Smart Planning reform program
• Changes to residential zones
• Addressing compliance and the building regulatory system
• Coastal planning in response to climate change
• Sustainable animal industries
• Interaction between planning and the reform program for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Our immediate priorities include:

• The Victorian Government’s Smart Planning reform program
• Inadequacies in the building regulatory system leading to poor compliance levels
• Reforms arising from the EPA inquiry, particularly related to the management of potentially contaminated land
• The Public Housing Renewal Program and broader advocacy on affordable housing
• Interaction between climate change and land use planning
• Interaction between land use planning and renewable energy
• Planning controls for animal industries
• Ecologically Sustainable Development in planning and building.

Current projects

• Population management
• Port Phillip Bay Coastal Planning Project
• Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment

Submissions and briefs

We develop and form a collective local government sector view on a range of planning and building topics. Our most recent submissions include:

• Protecting strategic agricultural land - May 2019 (Word - 300KB)
• Draft Solar Energy Facilities Design and Development Guidelines - Feb 2019 (Word - 306KB)
• SMART Planning - Reforming the Victorian Planning Provisions - Dec 2017 (Word - 741KB)
• Planning for Sustainable Animal Industries - Nov 2017 (Word - 309KB)
• Review of Aboriginal Heritage Regulations - Sep 2017 (Word - 34KB)
• Draft Building Regulations and Regulatory Impact Statement - Jul 2017 (Word - 303KB)
• Review of the Native Vegetation Clearing Regulations - Mar 2017 (Word - 335KB)

To access all MAV planning and building related submissions, visit the MAV submissions page.

Committees and reference groups

We represent local government on numerous high-level advisory and reference groups, including the:

• Victorian Cladding Taskforce
• Victorian Building Authority Stakeholder Reference Group
• Smart Planning Advisory Group
• Planning for Sustainable Animal Industries Steering Committee, Implementation Reference Group and Technical Reference Group
• Earth Resources Ministerial Advisory Council
• Victorian Swimming Pool and Spa Safety Committee.

We also convene the MAV Planning Committee , as well as a number of issue-specific working groups to help inform our work and build capacity within the sector.

Resources

Land Use Planning in Victoria - A guide for councillors (2017)

• Land use planning in Victoria: a guide for councillors (Word - 2.44MB)
• Land use planning in Victoria: a guide for councillors (PDF - 640KB)
• MAV/Metropolitan Planning Authority Partnership Agreement Version 2 (PDF – 3.79MB)
• Financial costs of settlement patterns in rural and regional Victoria modelling tool (Excel – 6.25KB) - Released in 2013, this tool provides rural and regional councils with insights into the costs of different settlement patterns based on essential infrastructure items.
• Where and how should we grow (Word – 1.36MB)

Managing residential character in rural and regional Victoria

The MAV commissioned Planisphere to prepare a report defining the characteristics of residential development in rural and regional areas. The report also outlines mechanisms that can guide improved residential development and identifies areas of potential reform.

• Managing residential character in rural and regional Victoria (Word – 48.1MB)
• Managing residential character in rural and regional Victoria (PDF – 3.04MB)
• Stronger planning enforcement risk assessment framework
• Risk-based assessment tool - A risk assessment tool has been prepared by Rural Councils Victoria and the MAV to assist councils to determine enforcement priorities, having regard to available resources.
• The 2019 MAV Rural and Regional Planning Conference was held in Ballarat on 30–31 May.

You can access planning and building-related presentations from past events on our past event presentations page.

Further information

• Port Philip Bay coastal planning project
• Planning & building (Vic Councils)

Engage with us

Subscribe to our monthly Planning Bulletin to keep informed about local government environment-related news and events.

For more information about our planning and building policy work, contact:

Manager – Planning and Building
(03) 9667 5541