Those that don't understand #development think "planning" is all about getting a planning permit. Why do #developers keep complaining about planning when permits are (mostly) being issued?
📋In truth, the development approval is but a small part of the process of turning a piece of land into new homes. There are so many steps in the process, before and after the DA/permit, which can prevent projects from starting – e.g.
#rezoning, functional layout approvals, #engineering approvals, pre-requisite approvals ( #cultural heritage, #heritage, planning agreements), #building approvals, etc.
These processes are mostly sequential, not parallel – i.e. if you can't get past process X, you can't even formally start process Y. A delay in one thing pushes back the critical path for the rest of the project.
✅Referral responses is a major bottleneck, especially for larger scale projects. In the last few years, dealing with Melbourne Water has been a particular problem. Without their detailed drainage information and a development "offer", the project design cannot finish and the whole program stops.
🤽🏻♂️Of late, it has been taking 14+ months for a development to receive a works offer from Melbourne Water. That is a delay which comes after the planning permit is received, a precondition to finalising detailed engineering design, approvals and getting works to start. So the whole project sits in limbo whilst everyone chases a response.
But Melbourne Water is but one of the dozens of referral authorities required at this step. If any of them aren't behaving well, the whole project stalls.
And these are monopolies – it's not like a developer can approach a different drainage authority to process their application! Nor can you easily just go to VCAT to force a response.
A few years ago it was some of the power authorities that were problematic, so whilst the exact source of the delay can change, the outcome is exactly the same – slower #approvals, fewer houses, more expensive.
🤔 That's why when we talk about planning reform, it needs focus on more than just the planning permit process. It's the whole #planning cycle, from inception to delivery which needs attention and review – holding regulators and authorities to account on timeliness and quality of advice.