Development assessment in relation to commencement of City Plan Version 6

Council has endorsed the adoption of Major Update 1 and 1B to the City Plan, which will commence on 20 September 2018 as part of City Plan Version 6. One of the significant updates includes changes to flood overlay maps and the Designated Flood Level (DFL). For example, in some areas of the City, this will result in some properties requiring a significant increase to the height of habitable floor levels for new development. Other properties that were not previously impacted by flood, may now be impacted.

The following advisory notes are provided to assist applicants who have development applications lodged with Council, or are intending to lodge applications with Council, leading up to the commencement of City Plan Version 6:

• Applications currently lodged with Council that can be decided, or will reach the decision stage, prior to City Plan Version 6
  
  In most circumstances, Council Officers will not have regard to City Plan Version 6 for applications that can be resolved, or are in decision stage, prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.
  
  
• Applications that are lodged with Council prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6 that have not reached the decision stage
  
  For applications that reach decision stage after commencement of City Plan Version 6, regard will be given to City Plan Version 6. In particular, there is a strong likelihood that officers will request applicants to fully respond to the new flood overlay maps and DFL.
  
  Our objective is to ensure applicants are fully aware of this position as we wish to avoid an applicant from having to provide an assessment under City Plan Version 5 and then having to provide a further assessment under City Plan Version 6. We also want to avoid applicants from having to carry out a potential redesign of an application and the significant frustrations this will cause.
  
  
• Applications lodged with Council after the commencement of City Plan Version 6
  
  These applications will be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 6.
  
  An applicant is entitled to lodge a request for a Superseded Planning Scheme (SPS) for their application to be assessed and decided under City Plan Version 5. However, there is no certainty that such a request will be supported. Enhancing and maintaining resilience to flood hazard is of paramount importance to the City, and therefore it is unlikely that Officers will support an SPS application that is seeking to utilise the superseded flood overlay maps and DFL under City Plan Version 5.

Managing the transition from City Plan Version 5 to City Plan Version 6

It is imperative that strong communication occurs between applicants and officers relating to required information in order for a full assessment to be made and the critical dates the information must be submitted by. Applicants are encouraged to contact the assessing officers as soon as possible. Likewise, Council’s assessing officers will endeavour to contact affected applicants in the coming weeks.

We appreciate that applicants may attempt to have their applications resolved prior to the commencement of City Version 6, or at least to ensure the application reaches the Decision Stage prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6. Officers will act as reasonably as possible to ensure applications are not unnecessarily held up during this transitional period. However, we strongly discourage the submission of unsatisfactory information simply to progress the application to the decision stage. Such information may result in applications being decided unfavourably. Officers would rather work with an applicant as soon as possible in an attempt to resolve issues prior to the commencement of City Plan Version 6.