VPRS 16223 New Format Planning Scheme Ordinances based on the Victoria Planning Provisions

Full description

The Planning and Environment (Planning Schemes) Act 1996, an amendment to the Planning and Environment Act 1987, enabled the reform of the structure of planning schemes in Victoria, provided for the preparation of municipal strategic statements and provided for the making of the Victoria Planning Provisions (VPP).

The Victoria Planning Provisions are the basis of a consistent and co-ordinated framework for planning schemes in Victoria. Under the provisions of the legislation local government councils were required to prepare new format planning schemes based on the structure and content of the Victoria Planning Provisions (located in VPRS 16204).

A Ministerial Direction to all planning authorities on "The Form and Content of Planning Schemes" provided guidance in the preparation of the VPP based planning schemes.

The components of the Victoria Planning Provisions were:

- Objectives of planning in Victoria
- Purposes of this planning scheme
- Table of contents
- User guide
- State Planning Policy Framework
- Standard zones
- Overlays
- Particular Provisions
- General Provisions
- Definitions
- Incorporated Documents
- List of Amendments.

The Local Policy Framework component, comprising of the Municipal Strategic Statement and specific local policies set a local and strategic policy context for the municipality.

The exhibited new format planning scheme maps applied the standardised zones and overlays selected from the Victoria Planning Provisions.(Refer to VPRS 16203 for Exhibited VPP Maps).

Following the review and restructure of local government in Victoria and the subsequent reduction in the number of local government municipalities (1994-1995) some newly created councils prepared Amalgamation Amendments in order to consolidate all planning schemes within their restructured municipal boundaries Former planning schemes were re-titled as chapters of an amalgamated planning scheme. Alternatively councils became the responsible authority for the operation of existing planning schemes within a restructured local
government area.

Researchers may refer to "New Patterns in Local Government: A guide to Victoria's new councils", published by the Office of Local Government, September 1995 (available at PROV's Reading Room at North Melbourne).

Refer to VPRS 16204 Amalgamation Amendments / Ordinance
Refer to VPRS 16155 Amalgamation Amendments / Maps

The new format planning schemes were based on the municipalities created following the restructure of local government in Victoria.

During the period 1997-1998 all new format VPP-based planning schemes were placed on public exhibition with the Department of Infrastructure (D.O.I.). Following the requisite public exhibition period the exhibited documents were retained by the D.O.I. and subsequently by the Built Environment Division of the Department of Sustainability and Environment.