Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has written to the Victorian Planning Minister raising concerns about recent changes to State planning laws that impact planning permits.
The changes, introduced under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, apply standard permit expiry timeframes requiring developments to start within three years and be completed within five years, unless specified otherwise - including permits that were previously issued without a commencement deadline.
Council has called on the State Government to reconsider how the changes apply to existing permits, particularly those approved without commencement expiry dates.
Until recently, the relevant legislation did not provide a default commencement expiry date for starting development associated with a permit.
Acting Mayor Paul Pingiaro said the retrospective application of the changes was creating uncertainty for permit holders.
"Many residents received planning permits in good faith under a different set of rules," Cr Pingiaro said.
"Applying new timeframes to those approvals after the fact risks unfairly impacting people who have relied on those permits."
Council has formally requested that existing permits without commencement dates be exempt from the new requirements.
"At this stage, we have not received a response from the Minister, and the legislation remains in effect," Cr Pingiaro said.
Council has written to existing permit holders who may be affected in order to assist them to understand the change and offering support to explain their individual circumstances.
