Victorian Building Permits

Getting a Commercial Structure Permit in Victoria

You’ve got your land. You’ve got a great building design. And you’re ready to take the first step to make your commercial structure a reality. Here’s where some of our customers can come unstuck, as the council permit process in Victoria can be intimidating for anyone new to the game.

In this article, Steelcorp’s Shane Barker has put together a basic step-by-step outline of the permits required for construction and the different types of approvals that you need to help guide you through the building process.

Firstly: You’ll Most Likely Need Two Approvals, Not One

Getting approval to build your structure involves two levels of approvals:

• Level 1 is your Planning Approval
• Level 2 is your Building Permit
  
  

Let’s take a look at these in more detail.

What is a Planning Permit?

Level 1 planning approvals are also known as a PP or a planning permit.

“In Victoria, all commercial buildings require a planning permit, which is a high-level approval focused on how your structure fits into its environment,” explains Shane.

“It doesn’t look at an extreme level of detail: this level of approval is purely to ensure that your proposed development complies with your local council’s future planning regime, local zonings, and appearance rules. It ensures that traffic flows and car park requirements are met, and puts in place the requirements for drainage and retention to ensure council assets aren’t affected too much by the extra drainage required for the development.”

You’ll need your level 1 planning permit before you can advance to level 2 and obtain your building permit.

How to Get a Planning Permit in Victoria

The first step is to contact your local council. Different councils have slightly different procedures, but in general, you’ll need to have the following documents ready:

A site plan showing the proposed location, existing buildings, distance from the boundaries, car parking, loading bays and traffic flow

Elevation drawings of your structure showing each view with dimensions

Title documents and plan of subdivision

Details of any covenants on your property

And finally, the permit application form itself.

“There also may be other reports required, particularly if your site has a specific overlay, such as a landscape significance overlay or an Aboriginal culture heritage overlay,” cautions Shane.

Overlays can mean that your site is subject to extra rules and requirements, so check with your council to see whether your land has any specific features that need to be taken into account.

How to get a Victorian Building Permit

Firstly, you need to apply for your building permit through a building surveyor, who then issues you with the permit if your application satisfies all the criteria.

Successfully getting a permit involves supplying the following information (usually 3 copies of each) for review, and paying a levy based on the cost of the building work.

• The planning permit you recently received
• Engineering plans
• Civil, structural and hydraulic plans
• A septic permit
• Fire design
• Your energy rating report – also known as a Section J report
• Soil report
• Title documents
• Details of any covenants on your property
• Compliant plans meeting all the National Construction Code requirements – you’ll typically need an architect to draw these up for you.
• And finally, the building permit application form.

Summary

1. The first step is to get your site plans, elevation drawings and title documents in order
2. Next, you can use these to apply for a planning permit (this process can take anywhere from 1 month to 1 year)
3. Once your planning permit is approved, you’ll need to engage a building surveyor
4. You can then get third party providers such as engineers and architects to provide the plans
5. The surveyor won’t assess the permit until all fees are paid, including their own fee and the VBA’s levy for the permit. This levy is typically substantially less than 1% of the overall cost of works.
6. Once the fees are paid, the surveyor reviews the documentation and the estimate you provide and issues an assessment. At this point, the assessor may request more information if required.
7. Once the surveyor is satisfied everything with the building is compliant he will issue the building permit.

“Once you have your permit you can engage with your commercial builder and get the ball rolling,” adds Shane.

“Also, note that permits have an expiry date, so it’s wise to start talking to builders whilst your permit is still under review so that you can get any early planning squared away such as engaging your contractors. This will help streamline the building process.”