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Planning Activity Soars

Bass Coast maintained its high ranking in the 2004/05 Planning Permit Activity Report, released by the Minister for Planning last month.

By Bass Coast Shire Council - 18th April 2006 - Back to News

The report compares the level of planning activity in the past two years as well as the overall activity levels of councils across the state.

Council’s Planning Manager, Hannah Duncan-Jones said Bass Coast continues to have unprecedented levels of planning applications in comparison to similar shires

"The report ranked Bass Coast at number 12, in terms of levels of planning activity," said Ms Duncan-Jones.

"This is one place higher than last year and clearly shows the high volume of planning applications being dealt with by our planning department.

Ms Duncan-Jones said Bass Coast was ranked alongside areas such as Geelong and Bendigo at the regional level and Stonnington and Melbourne in the metropolitan area.

"This shows the volume of applications on par with much larger shires," continued Ms Duncan-Jones.

"It also shows the growth pressures we are experiencing, due to the continuing impact of the sea change phenomenon.

Ms Duncan-Jones confirmed that like many councils, recruiting and retaining suitably qualified planning professionals was a challenge for Bass Coast.

"This growth in applications is coinciding with a national shortage of planning professionals," said Ms Duncan-Jones

"Happily, we are currently fully staffed in the planning department.

"This should help with the turn-around time on the applications that we receive,

"The diverse range of skills and backgrounds of the team members will ensure that effective decisions are made.

A number of planning staff were recently presented with certificates, in acknowledgement of their hard work in recent months.

Anyone wishing to view a full copy of the Planning Activity Report can do so at the Department of Sustainability and Environment website: www.dse.vic.gov.au/planning

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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