The Minister for Planning has appointed an independent Standing Advisory Committee known as the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Standing Advisory Committee (the Committee). The Committee can advise on draft Statements of Planning Policy and any other planning policy and implementation matter referred to it by the Minister for Planning. The Committee comprises Kathy Mitchell (Chair), Lester Townsend (Deputy Chair), Con Tsotsoros (Deputy Chair), Peter Boyle, Shannon Davies, Peter Edwards, Ian Hamm, Sophie Handley, Gabby McMillan, Natasha Reifschneider, and Geoff Underwood.
Committee members considering the Surf Coast referral are Kathy Mitchell (Chair), Ian Hamm, Tanya Burdett, Shannon Davies and Peter Edwards.
See the Committee Member biographies (PDF).
The work and scope of the Committee are guided by the Terms of Reference (PDF) issued by the Minister for Planning. The Committee is administered by Planning Panels Victoria. To learn more visit the Planning Panels Victoria website.
On 8 November 2020, the Minister for Planning referred the draft Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy (SPP) and proposed landscape planning controls to the Committee for advice.
View the letter of referral (PDF)
The Committee has been requested to consider all written submissions received, convene a public hearing and advise the Minister for Planning on the robustness of the draft Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy and proposed landscape planning controls in meeting the objects of Section 46AN the Planning and Environment Act 1987 . This includes making recommendations on any amendments needed to the draft Surf Coast SPP and proposed landscape planning controls.
This webpage will be updated as any further referrals are received from the Minister for Planning.
The draft Surf Coast Statement of Planning Policy and proposed landscape planning controls was on public exhibition between Thursday 19 November and 4.00pm on Friday 29 January 2021.
Submissions were invited during this time.
The Terms of Reference require written submissions be published online. All submissions will be published on the Engage Victoria website, unless a submitter has specifically requested it not be published.
Click here to view the Submissions.
The documents tabled by parties before and during the hearing will be progressively published on Engage Victoria.
Click here to view the Tabled Documents.
Expert Witness Reports will be published to Engage Victoria.
Click here to view the Expert Evidence.
The Public Hearing involves two main components: the Directions Hearing and the main Hearing.
A Directions Hearing was held from 10.00am on Thursday 11 February 2021 by video conference using Microsoft Teams .
At the Directions Hearing, the Committee:
The purpose of the Public Hearing is for submitters to speak to their written submission. The Public Hearing will commence on Monday 15 March 2021 and should run for four to five weeks. The Committee will sit Monday to Thursday each Hearing week.
The Public Hearing is open to the public to observe. The Committee will consider all submissions, irrespective of whether a submitter seeks to be heard.
Due to the current COVID-19 related physical distancing restrictions, the Hearing may be held by video conference using the Microsoft Teams platform or in person or a combination of both. If the Hearing is in person, parts of it may be held locally in Torquay, or Melbourne, or a mix of both depending on circumstances. The final form of the Hearing and its location will be considered by the Committee at the Directions Hearing. The Committee will follow all health advice of the Victorian Government and the Chief Health Officer.
The Committee has issued the following documents which can be viewed below:
Please note that your submission will be treated as a public document in accordance with the Privacy Collection Notice (which can be accessed through Document Library) which may include provisions to other parties and display in the Hearing. You should not include any other personal information in the body of your submission, such as physical addresses, photographs of children, email address and phone details, unless that information can be made publicly available. You can request access to your personal information held by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) by contacting the Freedom of Information Unit on (03) 9637 8186 or FOI.unit@delwp.vic.gov.au
Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Standing Advisory Committee
This Privacy Collection Statement relates to all submissions collected in relation to the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes Standing Advisory Committee (the ‘Committee’). Planning Panels Victoria (PPV) is providing administrative services to the Committee.
PPV is part of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and submissions will be managed in accordance with the Department’s Information Privacy Policy. The Department’s Information Privacy Policy is online at https://www2.delwp.vic.gov.au/doing-business-with-us/information-privacy.
Your submission has been collected by the Committee for the purpose of helping to formulate its advice to the Minister for Planning in accordance with the Terms of Reference.
Natural justice to participants and transparency are important parts of the Committee process. In meeting its legislative requirements and complying with the Terms of Reference, the Committee may do the following with your submission:
The Committee Report will be published on the internet and may include:
Planning Panels Victoria will remove your submission from the web pages that it controls within three months after the Committee has reported. Planning Panels Victoria cannot guarantee that your submission will be removed from external web pages outside its control.
The Committee will conduct its proceedings through a Hearing.
The Hearing may be held face to face, via telephone conference or via video conference or a combination of these. You should be aware the Committee may:
The Committee will direct that parties do not record online hearing of submissions or use them for any other purpose. However, the Committee is unable to guarantee that third parties will not be recording online hearing of submissions, and the use of any such recordings outside the hearing of submissions context cannot be regulated by the Committee.
All participants are reminded that during the Committee process, the privacy of others should be respected and to refrain from the defamation of others.
After the Committee has reported to the Minister for Planning all submissions will be removed from all public display within three months.
Your original submission and any additional material provided to the Committee will be held at Planning Panels Victoria for two years and then sent to the Public Records Office of Victoria. All additional copies of the submissions and other material held by Planning Panels Victoria will be securely destroyed.
If you have any concerns in respect to the way your personal information or submission will be used please contact Planning Panels Victoria on (03) 8392 5114 or Planning.Panels@delwp.vic.gov.au
For questions about the Committee process and making a submission please contact:
| Name | Planning Panels Victoria |
|---|---|
| Phone | 136 186 |
| planning.panels@delwp.vic.gov.au |
For questions in relation to the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes program please contact:
| Name | Places and Precincts Division, DELWP |
|---|---|
| Phone | 136 186 |
| planning.implementation@delwp.vic.gov.au |
The Victorian Government acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and acknowledges and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and future.
