About Planning

Planning permits and building permits are different. This means that you may need one or both depending on your proposed work.  Generally, planning is concerned with the land – the way it will be used and/or developed, whereas building is concerned with the actual construction – its structure and stability. 

• Planning permits are legal documents giving permission for a land use or development to occur on a specified parcel of land.
• Building permits are issued by a registered building surveyor and generally relate only to the construction aspects of a particular building or development.

If you require both permits, you must get the planning permit before applying for the building permit – just because you have a planning permit does not mean that you can start construction without first getting a building permit

Each individual property has a set of planning controls which specify when a planning permit is needed. To find out what controls apply to your property you can:

• Obtain a free property report, or purchase a Certificate of Title or Planning Certificate at www.land.vic.gov.au
• View the Mornington Peninsula Planning Scheme online including information on zones, overlays, state and local planning policies at the following link Planning Schemes Online
• View planning scheme maps online at Planning Maps Online. You can create a free property report which will detail the relevant zoning and overlay information
• View planning scheme maps in person at the Shire offices during business hours.

Before you proceed with any new use or development of your home or land, it is strongly recommended that you contact our Planning Services team on 5950 1010, with the following information, to determine if a permit is required.  

Please note that in order to provide accurate advice, we will need the following information:

• The ultimate development objective (e.g. construct a house, build an office building, subdivide my land, remove a tree)
• A specific property address

Officers are able to provide preliminary advice over the phone or you can apply for a written response to your enquiry. 

In order to get the most accurate advice, it is recommended that you provide the following information:

• Title, including any restrictive covenants or agreements
• Relevant plans drawn to scale or with relevant dimensions (site plan, floor plan, elevation plans)
• A written statement describing the proposal, this may include land use, buildings and works, vegetation removal where relevant.
• Reference any known previous planning permits for the site

It also may be necessary to obtain independent advice from a planning consultant.

If a planning permit is required for your proposal, there may be other approvals required. Some of these approvals are administered by the Shire, with others administered externally.

For a comprehensive overview of the various approvals which may be required throughout your development project, please see the following link.

Brochure: It's all in the planning(PDF, 440KB)

If you do need a planning permit for your proposal, you will need to lodge a planning application.

For information relating to the application process.

Lodging a Planning Application

For information relating to lodging a planning permit amendment including applications made under Secondary Consent.

Lodging a Planning Permit Amendment