The number of planning applications councils have to assess varies from quarter to quarter and this has impacts for applicants.
So, we thought it would be interesting to look at the State government’s Planning Permit Activity Reporting System (PPARS) website to see how a selection of councils vary on key performance indicators over this period. Things that matter to applicants, like:
- “How long will my planning permit take?”
- “What are the chances I’ll get the permit on time?”
- “How likely is it that the council will approve/refuse my permit?”
- “What’s this council planning department like to deal with?”
These questions can be answered by reviewing the data on this site that is specific to your council. For the purposes of this article, we have focused on five metropolitan councils that we regularly lodge applications in.
During the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year (April – June 2022), the number of planning applications rose over the previous financial quarter for Stonnington (10.5%), Glen Eira (11.8%) and Monash (17.5%); and decreased for Knox (-15.6%) and Boroondara (-25.5%). Given the that planning permits usually take a few months, this tells us that Monash has the greatest additional workload, and Boroondara, the most reduced. So, next quarter, you can expect these councils to be more and less busy, respectively. And this will impact permit timeframes and what the council is like to deal with in the short term.
Here are some more statistics for further detail for the fourth quarter of the 2021/22 financial year (April – June 2022).
Stonnington
Total number of planning applications lodged: 273
Planning permits approved: 285 (82%)
Planning permits refused: 6 (1.8%)
Days to process an application: 138
Applications assessed within 60 days: 51%
Boroondara
Total number of planning applications lodged: 202
Planning permits approved: 236 (88%)
Planning permits refused: 10 (3.6%)
Days to process an application: 150
Applications assessed within 60 days: 51%
Glen Eira
Total number of planning applications lodged: 304
Planning permits approved: 281 (88%)
Planning permits refused: 4 (1.3%)
Days to process an application: 87
Applications assessed within 60 days: 82%
Knox
Total number of planning applications lodged: 217
Planning permits approved: 173 (77%)
Planning permits refused: 14 (6.2%)
Days to process an application: 117
Applications assessed within 60 days: 53%
Monash
Total number of planning applications lodged: 309
Planning permits approved: 226 (75%)
Planning permits refused: 30 (9%)
Days to process an application: 112
Applications assessed within 60 days: 71%
So what does that tell us?
As you can see, overall, councils have varying amounts of permit applications to assess. Those with the largest workloads, Monash (309) and Glen Eira (304), actually process applications faster than other councils who have less applications to deal with such as Boroondara (202) and Knox (217).
The number of applications assessed within the 60 day statutory timeframe is high for Monash (71%) and Glen Eira (82%), and significantly lower for the councils who have less applications to deal with such as Boroondara (53%) and Knox (51%).
Stonnington, while having a high number of applications at 274, performs the same as the council’s with significantly lower applications, also at 51% of applications assessed within the 60 day statutory timeframe.
This means that we can’t draw a straight line relationship between busier councils and productivity. But it does demonstrate that we can discern between councils. Simply, Stonnington, Boroondara and Knox are the least likely to assess an application in 60 days.
Many of clients start with the questions “How long will my planning permit take?” and “How likely is it that the council will approve/refuse my permit?”
Well, the statistics for last financial quarter show that Glen Eira, despite being a busier planning department, are also the most efficient. Glen Eira turns applications around in an average of 87 days, weeks ahead of Monash (112) and Knox (117) and almost 2 months quicker than Stonnington (138) and Boroondara (150). This is a significant difference if you are planning for your project.
Finally, and possibly the most significant factor for some permit applicants, are the chances of a permit being granted.
The councils with the lowest permit refusal status are Stonnington (1.8%), Boroondara (3.6%) and Glen Eira (1.3%). On the flipside are the councils more likely to refuse a permit, being Knox (6.2%) and Monash (9%). Stonnington and Boroondara are two of the slowest councils to issue permits, but they have low refusal rates. Knox and Monash on the other hand, have refusal rates that warrant caution and careful preparation for planning applications.
The outstanding council, over the last quarter, is without a doubt, Glen Eira. They had the most applications of the sample, quicker turn around times and the lowest refusal rate. Click here to watch a video describing what town planners do and how they remove the risk of refusals for applicants.