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Prepare for planning application
Register to lodge your planning application
Please register as a user for the portal 48 hours prior to making a submission.
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myLot - planning enquiry tool
myLot, an Australian technology company, is a third party AI service that can provide information on specific planning requirements for your property.
Whether you are looking to build a townhouse, renovate your home, remove a tree, build a shed or any other type of development, our new online planning tool called myLot can help you:
- determine if your project likely requires a planning permit
- understand why a permit is or isn't likely required, with references to the relevant planning controls
- determine what documents you will need to submit a complete planning permit application
- determine whether your project is eligible for a VicSmart application.
Moonee Valley City Council has partnered with myLot to provide this additional service to our community.
How it works
- After pressing 'Launch myLot', you'll be transferred to their website and be asked to sign up.
- Next, you'll need to provide the address of your development proposal.
- The system will then ask a series of questions about your proposal.
- Once enough information is gathered, the service will analyse whether a planning permit is likely required.
Is the result a planning decision?
No. The outcome is a helpful guide, but it is not an official planning decision by Moonee Valley City Council. This service provides preliminary information only. You should always exercise due diligence by obtaining a confirmation through written planning advice, a pre-application meeting or by obtaining a planning permit if required. Moving forward without the necessary permits may lead to enforcement action.
Important information
MyLot is suitable for most types of planning enquiries, including those related to development uses, overlays such as Heritage Overlay, Design and Development Overlay and Special Building Overlay and subdivision of the land.
For any enquiries about multi-unit development, please contact the Statutory Planning team to discuss your proposal with a planner.
You can enquire about any address in a residential Moonee Valley local area.
That's okay. The service can provide guidance based on the information you have. If there are details you're unsure about, you can explore different options with the service to understand the planning implications.
The service can be used by building professionals to check planning requirements quickly.
Reliability of results
The information provided by myLot is intended to be a helpful guide and is not a final planning decision. The service offers guidance based on your information and its interpretation of the planning rules.
However, it does not account for the factors such as:
- covenants, 173 agreements and other restrictions found on a certificate of title
- previous or existing planning permits, or existing uses
- other approvals may be required, such as building and asset protection permits.
Therefore, the service's advice should be reviewed by a Council or private planner for final advice before proceeding, even if the case doesn't seem complex.
The service’s advice is based on a careful analysis of the planning legislation relevant to your site and proposal. It cites the specific rules and clauses that it bases its interpretations on. However, as it cannot yet access certain property-specific data, its advice should be taken as guidance rather than a definitive answer.
You can arrange a pre-application meeting with a Planner to discuss your proposal. Alternatively, you can request formal written planning advice to verify the answers provided.
Privacy and security
The service collects the information you provide about your project, which is used to provide guidance on planning requirements. The email you use to sign up is used to send you a copy of your results. No personal data is used for any other purpose.
This service is delivered by myLot, an Australian technology company focused on AI for the planning and building sector. Learn more at mylot.ai .
Host servers located in Australia securely store all data. myLot adhere to strict data protection regulations and employ robust security measures to safeguard your information.
Written planning advice
Written planning advice provides you with written confirmation on whether a planning permit is required for a proposed land use/development.
Please provide us as much information as possible so that we can give you the best advice possible.
Please include the following with your request for written planning advice:
- a current certificate of title, including any agreements or covenants (less than 3 months old)
- plans and elevation drawings
- a brief overview of the proposal
- if proposing a new business, details of the business, hours of operation and car parking.
Please see our current Fee Schedule (PDF, 197 KB) to determine the fees associated with a request for written planning advice.
A response to a request for written planning advice generally takes 10 - 15 business days, depending on the complexity of the request.
Pre-application meeting
Before you lodge an application for a planning permit you can attend a pre-application meeting with Council planning officers.
This meeting is a great way to make sure you aren't delayed by having to go back and fix things in your application later in the process. The meeting is also a chance to find out if your application meets the requirements of the Moonee Valley Planning Scheme.
For complex projects we encourage you to use our discussion service by requesting a pre-application meeting with us. Fees apply for this service.
- If the meeting is for heritage development, please provide a colour and material schedule (with samples).
- If the meeting is for a change of use application, please describe the use as much as possible. For example – proposed opening hours, staff numbers, number of seats, etc.
- If the meeting is for a liquor license, please provide a plan showing red line area, patron areas and operating hours.
Once Council receives your valid request and payment, someone will contact you to book in a meeting date.
You will also find out the name of the planning officer who will lead your pre-application meeting.
Any advice Council provides at the pre-application meeting is preliminary advice only.
Council will attempt to provide clear and concise advice based on information tabled at the pre-application meeting and relevant provisions within the MV Planning Scheme.
Application checklists
We have prepared application checklists for common planning applications. See below:
- Residential development (ResCode) applications (Construction/extension of one dwelling on a lot of less than 300 square metres, or construction of two more dwellings on a lot) (PDF, 225 KB)
- Change of use applications (where a planning permit is required to change the use of land) (PDF, 202 KB)
- Development in a heritage overlay applications (where a planning permit is required for development within a heritage overlay area - including demolition, construction of buildings and works, external alterations) (PDF, 186 KB)
- Reduction of car parking requirement applications (PDF, 181 KB)
- Advertising signage applications (where a planning permit is required for the development of land for signs) (PDF, 182 KB).
A planning permit application may incorporate many permit triggers. For example, the use of the land for a medical centre may include the display of advertising signage and a reduction in car parking. In these instances you must meet the application requirements of all permit triggers. If you are unsure, contact the Statutory Planning unit on 03 9243 8888.