Commercial Priority for New or Expanding Businesses
Council’s Commercial Priority for new or expanding businesses
Council has a Commercial Priority process for planning applications that propose a new or significant expansion to an existing business.
Commercial Priority Applications will be approved in less than 60 days.
Why does Council have a Commercial Priority Process?
Moreland City Council understands that new and expanding business can have significant benefits to the community. These include local employment generation and investment in Moreland. To reduce the cost of delay to business, Council’s Urban Development Branch have developed the Commercial Priority process. The process aims to give applicants greater certainty in both outcome and timeframe for a decision.
What type of planning applications can be Commercial Priority?
Your application will qualify for Commercial Priority if it:
- Proposes a new business in Moreland or
- Proposes development for an expansion of an existing business where the cost of works is greater than $100,000 or where it can be demonstrated that the development will result in significant additional local employment
- Is a complete application that does not require any further information once submitted.
- Is a proposal that meets policy objectives and controls of the Moreland Planning Scheme.
Pre-application meetings provide the opportunity to identify required information and compliance with the Moreland Planning Scheme. Experience shows that applications that have not had a pre-application meeting are much more likely to be submitted with missing information or require significant re-design. This is often the largest cause of delay in the planning process. Once lodged with Council, applications that require further information or re-design will not qualify for Commercial Priority.
Contact Council’s Commercial Priority Planner on 9240 1111 to arrange a free appointment.
Are there extra fees for Commercial Priority applications?
No. Only the fees set by the Planning & Environment Act apply. Contact the Urban Development Branch or visit Council’s Website for more information regarding fees.
Commercial Priority process – what happens?
1. Pre-application meeting
First, have a free pre-application meeting with Council officers before you lodge the application. At the meeting Urban Planning officers advise if your application can be Commercial Priority, what information is required and whether the proposal complies with the Moreland Planning Scheme.
2. Prepare plans and proposal description
In most cases you will need plans and a detailed written proposal description prepared for your application. The information on the plans and proposal description depends on the type of application.
You need three copies of plans. The plans must have dimensions and be drawn to scale and show the details of all buildings or other things proposed.
Council has checklists to assist applicants with preparing different types of applications. Get a checklist for your type of application from the Urban Development Branch or visit the ‘Planning Application Forms’- page of Council’s website to download the checklist you need.
3. Lodge your planning application
Complete Moreland City Council’s planning permit application form and submit the application form, plans, proposal description and title at Council together with any applicable fee.
4. What happens once the application is lodged?
One of Council’s planning officers will check your application and the information submitted and decide if it can be ‘Commercial Priority’.
Once this has been determined, the planning officer will contact you (either by phone or email) to advise if your application is ‘Commercial Priority’.
Depending on the proposal, you may be required to give public notice of the application. Generally this occurs for a two week period. Council will provide you with details of any public notification requirements generally within 4 weeks of lodgement.
