1. Pre-application meeting

Benefits of a pre-application meeting

Council strongly recommends that all applicants for planning permits have a pre-application meeting with a Council planning officer before submitting a planning permit application.

Council planning officers assess your proposal before lodgement and provide advice on the suitability of the application to help avoid delays in the approval process. It is also an opportunity to identify issues early to make sure your application is complete.

When to book a pre-application meeting

Once you have engaged an architect or draftsperson to prepare preliminary plans, then you can arrange a pre-application meeting with Council.

If you are unsure how you wish to develop or use your land and you do not have any plans yet, you can contact Council or visit the Moreland Civic Centre to speak to a planning officer.

Fees and charges

A fee applies for pre-application meetings associated with proposals for 3 or more dwellings.

The fee includes access to two follow up meetings, and written advice and recommendations following the initial pre-application meeting.

Number of dwellings	Fee
3-6 dwellings	$257.50
7-19 dwellings	$515.00
More than 20 dwellings	$750.00
All other developments	No fee

How to book a pre-application meeting

Book a planning permit pre-application meeting online.

Register with Council Online Services. As a registered user, you don't need to re-enter your personal information and can keep track of requests and applications on any device.
Request a pre-application meeting. You need to sign in to Council Online Services to request a meeting.
As part of the online application process you upload digital files of the plans for your proposed development.
When Council receives your request, a Council planning officer will contact you to arrange a pre-application meeting time.

Request a pre-application meeting

What happens at a pre-application meeting?

At a pre-application meeting you will be able to discuss key issues of your proposal and whether your application meets all the requirements of the Moreland Planning Scheme.

Planning officers will give you advice in the meeting based on the information presented and any relevant provisions of the Merri-bek Planning Scheme.

Council is trialling the Design Excellence Scorecard for medium to high density developments. Council will let planning permit applicants know if they are eligible for the Scorecard during the pre-application meeting. Participation is voluntary.

Any advice provided at the pre-application meeting is preliminary advice only. This advice may change based on any changes to the design or plans, referral advice, site inspection, public notice and other related matters at Council discretion.

The average pre-application meeting takes about 30 minutes.

The advice in the pre-application meeting will be followed up in writing within 5 working days after the meeting.

What to bring to a pre-application meeting

The type of information you need to provide at a pre-application meeting will depend on the type of development that you are proposing.

You may need to provide the following information at pre-application meeting:

a neighbourhood and site description plan showing existing buildings on site and location of buildings on at least four adjoining properties (including habitable room windows and private open space areas)
concept floor plans showing, for example, building footprints, setbacks and property boundaries
concept elevation plans, and
photo of the site and surrounding features of the area.

For proposals over 3 storeys you will need to provide an Urban Context Report. For more information, refer to the Amendment C142: Merri-bek Apartment Design Code (MADC).

For new uses and liquor licences you will need to provide a written statement including the nature of use, hours of operation, number of staff, car parking provided on site, and surrounding uses. This list is only a guide.

For a full list, refer to: