Town Planning Services

What is Town Planning?

Town planning involves regulating both existing and proposed land uses, developments and subdivisions through controls outlined in the City of Greater Bendigo Planning Scheme. It aims to achieve a balance between enabling development and growth to take place and protecting/enhancing the built and natural environment.

If applying for a permit, the City’s Planning Department looks at what you want to do against these planning controls and decides if it is the right use or development for the area.

Planning is a continually changing field influenced by policy changes in response to community needs, population growth, environmental risks (such as flood and fire) and environmental conservation.

How we respond

The Statutory Planning team has introduced an electronic process for all planning enquiries which enables us to deliver a fair and consistent response to all our customers. 

Customer Support Officers lodge all enquiries received by phone or email in to the City’s Customer Service Request system which allocates a unique reference number to track the enquiry. You'll be asked if your enquiry relates to a specific property address which allows the Planner to have the relevant maps and basic planning scheme information at hand when they call you back, saving you time.  The on-duty Planners will call or email customers in the order enquiries are received and will also advise if more research is required to provide a complete answer.

To make an enquiry about the Planning process, or whether you may need a permit, please call the City on 1300 002 642.