9. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
VCAT is a Victorian government tribunal that deals with many kinds of disputes, including planning disputes between people and local Councils.
Applicants or objectors who disagree with Council’s decision on a planning permit application can apply to VCAT to review Council’s decision.
Appeal to VCAT: applicants and objectors
A planning permit applicant has 60 days from the date of Council’s decision to submit an Application for Review to VCAT.
An objector to a planning permit application has 21 days from the date of Council’s Notice of Decision to Grant a Planning Permit to submit an Application for Review to VCAT.
Information on how to apply for a review of Council’s decision is written on the back of your planning permit, Notice of Decision to Grant a Planning Permit or the Refusal to Grant a Planning Permit.
The VCAT review process for planning permits
- Download and fill in the Application for Review form from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) website.
- Send it to the Application Registrar of the Planning List and pay the application fee.
VCAT will write to you and tell you to write to the people involved in the planning permit application. VCAT will tell you which people to write to and give you the forms you need to send out.
VCAT decisions
One or more members of VCAT decide on your application for review. VCAT decisions bind everyone involved in the appeal, except where a question of law is involved and an appeal is sought before the Supreme Court.
