Development Facilitation Program

The Development Facilitation Program (DFP) is an accelerated assessment pathway for eligible projects to inject investment into the Victorian economy, keep people in jobs and create homes for people. All applications lodged to the DFP will be determined by the Minister for Planning or the Department of Transport and Planning under delegation.

DTP also offers a case management service for existing residential planning permit applications or planning scheme amendments that have been unreasonably delayed more than 6 months with a development value of greater than $10 million.

How to apply

DFP pre-application request

Applicants must submit a pre-application request before lodging a DFP application. DTP’s dedicated pre-application request service will:

• Confirm if a project is eligible for the program
• Review pre-application enquiry materials and provide preliminary feedback
• Identify what information is needed for a complete application
• Engage with referral agencies and councils (if needed)
• Facilitate a design review process with the Office of the Victorian Government Authority (if needed)
• Review final application documents to confirm application completeness
• Coordinate Invest Victoria’s feasibility assessment
• Provide instructions for lodging DFP applications

Start a pre-application request using the link below (this also includes renewable energy requests).

Start a DFP pre-application request

DFP eligibility criteria

All applications must meet the DFP eligibility criteria or be declared by the Minister for Planning as a priority project to qualify for accelerated assessment and determination.

Eligibility is based on:

• meeting the DFP sectors and financial thresholds
• demonstrating investment certainty
• including a development component that can commence within 12 months

The estimated development cost is a calculation of the materials and labour costs.

All DFP applications must include a quantity surveyor report confirming the project’s estimated development cost.

Investment certainty

DFP applications must be submitted with written advice from the Chief Executive Officer, Invest Victoria confirming the project has demonstrated investment certainty or capacity to secure funding.  This requirement does not apply for:

• projects carried out or funded by (or on behalf of) the State of Victoria or a public authority
• applications for renewable energy facilities or utility installations

DTP officers will assist applicants to obtain Invest Victoria’s written advice during the DFP pre-application enquiry process.

Development component

An application to the DFP must include a development component that can commence construction within 12 months of approval.

DFP assessment pathways

DTP offers two assessment pathways for DFP applications:

• Planning permit applications under Clause 53.22 (Significant Economic Development) or Clause 53.23 (Significant Residential Development with Affordable Housing)
• Planning scheme amendment (including combined Section 96a combined planning scheme amendment and planning permit application)

All applications are assessed on planning merit which includes the following:

• alignment with the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (including the objectives of planning in Victoria)
• alignment with state and local provisions of the planning scheme
• consideration of the local context, including potential amenity and environmental impacts

DFP applications are subject to the same referral and public notice requirements as standard assessments. DTP will engage referral authorities and local governments and notify adjoining property owners and potentially affected parties if the planning scheme requires it. Authority and community views will be considered in DTP’s planning assessment.

Applications for places on the Victorian Heritage Register require a heritage permit application under the Heritage Act 2017, in addition to a planning permit application under the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Heritage and planning permit applications will be assessed in parallel where possible, though considered separately under the relevant Acts. Coordinated advice from Heritage Victoria, the planning approvals team and the Office of the Victorian Government Architect will be provided during the pre-application stage. Workshops considering the approach to heritage, design and planning matters may also be held.

Notice is required for all heritage permit applications and reviews will be managed in line with the requirements under the Heritage Act 2017.

Resources

DTP has prepared the following guides to help applicants in preparing DFP applications:

• Solar energy facilities design and development guideline
• Guidelines for development of wind energy facilities in Victoria

Ineligible applications

Not all projects are eligible for the program, including:

• Applications to subdivide land, except where:
  • The project includes a development component and is combined with a planning scheme amendment under section 96A of the Planning and Environment Act 1987), or
  • The project includes a renewable energy facility or utility installation associated with a renewable energy facility
• Applications or consents for a use or development to which any of the following clauses apply: Clause 52.03 (Level Crossing Removal Project), Clause 52.20 (Victoria’s Big Housing Build), 52.30 (State Projects), Clause 52.31 (Local Government Projects), Clause 52.35 (Major Road Projects), Clause 52.36 (Rail Projects), Clause 53.19 (Non-Government Schools), Clause 53.20 (Housing by or on behalf of Homes Victoria), and Clause 53.21 (State Transport Projects).
• Where the Minister for Planning has authorised or directed the Victorian Planning Authority to prepare or implement a plan for an identified precinct
• Proposals to subdivide green wedge land into more lots or into smaller lots than allowed for by the relevant planning scheme.
• Proposals for land in an Urban Growth Zone where a Precinct Structure Plan has not been prepared.

Governance

A dedicated facilitation team has been established within DTP to oversee the program.

All projects will be considered under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 including probity and confidentiality and will be subject to the same level of rigorous assessment and opportunity for consultation as per the standard assessment process.

The Minister for Planning appointed the Development Facilitation Program Standing Advisory Committee (DFPSAC), comprising Victorian Government executives, to review and oversee all planning scheme amendment requests that come through the program.

The DFPSAC will monitor the program via regular reporting. It will also monitor all reporting on DTP’s business as usual statutory planning functions, such as planning scheme amendments and planning permits. This will ensure all statutory decisions where the Minister for Planning is responsible are made in a timely manner.

Page last updated: 24/06/24