Extend a Planning Permit

A Planning Permit states the dates for when work needs to start and finish.

After we issue the permit:

• development or land use must start within 2 years 
• works must be completed within 4 years, unless the permit shows a different date.

When to apply for a permit extension

You can apply for an extension any time before the permit's expiry date. 

If your permit has expired, you can apply to extend:

• the start date for your development or land use up to 6 months after the original permit expiry date
• the finish date for development up to 12 months after the expiry date.

An example of 'land use' is extending the date set for a building to start operating as a medical centre by 6 months beyond the 4 year completion timeframe.

Council and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) can't approve requests outside of these timeframes.

The processes for requesting and assessing Planning Permit extensions are set by the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

How to apply for an extension

The people who can apply for an extension of time are:

• the owner of the land
• the occupier of the land
• another person with the written consent of the owner of the land.

These people can complete the online application for an extension.

Apply for your extension online

1. Apply using the online application form.
2. Attach supporting documentation and plans when submitting the form.
3. Pay the required $630 fee.

Apply for an extension of time

How we assess your application

When we assess your application we consider:

• the time delay
• reasons for the extension
• the size of the development
• whether the Boroondara Planning Scheme has changed
• whether the landowner wants to 'warehouse' the permit (this means if they have applied for the permit but don't intend to act on it)
• the time between issuing the permit and the request
• whether the original time frame was reasonable
• any costs to the land owner from the permit
• whether we would issue a permit if this was a new permit application
• any other relevant circumstances that affect our decision.

We can decide how long to extend the permit for. This may be different from the extension you requested.

Appeal the decision

If you apply for an extension within the right timeframe and we don't approve it, you can appeal the decision with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

Find out about the VCAT appeals process. 

More information

For more information contact the Urban Planning team at [email protected] or on (03) 9278 4888.