What is a Neighbourhood & Site Description and a ... - Hobsons Bay

What is a Neighbourhood & Site Description and a Design Response?. . . and what do they have to do with aPlanning Permit?Site and neighbourhood responsive design isthe starting point for Council to assess allplanning applications for the development ofresidential land within the municipality.What is a neighbourhood sitedescription?The neighbourhood and site description isthe first thing that should be prepared whendeveloping an application for a planning permit.It is a statement or plan(s), which provideinformation about the existing neighbourhoodcharacter and a description of the site.What should a neighbourhood and sitedescription contain?Your neighbourhood and site description mustcontain notable features and characteristics ofthe neighbourhood including the pattern ofdevelopment in the neighbourhood, the builtform, location and setback of buildings, scaleand character of surrounding development.The plan must be enough to satisfy Council tounderstand both the neighbourhood characterand the various constraints and opportunitiesthe lot itself presents.You need to also tell Council how yourdevelopment will affect the amenity ofneighbours.When do I prepare a neighbourhood andsite description?You should prepare the site andneighbourhood description before you designyour development, otherwise you run the riskof developing a proposal which is inconsistentwith the neighbourhood character of the area,and impacts unreasonably upon the amenity ofneighbours.What is a design response?Once you’ve finalised your neighbourhood andsite description it’s time to design yourdevelopment. The ‘design response’ mustexplain how the proposed design responds toyour neighbourhood and site description andmeets the objectives of Clause 55 of theHobsons Bay Planning Scheme. The designresponse must include correctly proportionedstreet elevations or photographs showing thedevelopment in the context of adjacentbuildings.Site responsive designYou must establish a link between the majorneighbourhood and amenity features asoutlined in your Neighbourhood and SiteDescription, and your proposed development.Therefore, even if your neighbourhood and sitedescription identifies all the features andcharacteristics, a permit will not be decided ifthe design does not respect the neighbourhoodcharacter, and/or fails to have regard for theamenity of residents. The Hobsons BayNeighbourhood Character Study 2002 willassist you in establishing that link.

Useful Contactscontact phone websiteAboriginal Affairs Victoria 03 9637 8000 www.dvc.vic.gov.auAGL Electricity Limited 03 9201 2275 www.agl.com.auAustralian Bureau of Statistics 1300 13 50 70 www.abs.gov.auAustralian Heritage Commission 02 6274 1111 www.ahc.gov.auArchicentre 1300 13 45 13 www.archicentre.com.auBuilding Advice & Conciliation Victoria 1300 557 559Building Commission & Appeals Board 03 9285 6400 www.buildingcommission.com.auCity West Water 03 9313 8422 www.citywestwater.com.auConsumer Affairs Victoria1300 55 81 81 www.consumer.vic.gov.au- Business Licensing- Liquor Licensing1300 13 54 521300 65 03 67State Department of Human Services Environmental 1300 761 874 www.health.vic.gov.au/environmentHealth UnitState Department of Justice03 8684 0000 www.justice.vic.gov.au- Dispute Settlement Centre03 9603 8370State Department of Sustainability and Environment, 13 61 86 www.dse.vic.gov.auPlanning Information CentreEnvironment Protection Authority EPA Victoria 03 9695 2722 www.epa.vic.gov.auHeritage Victoria 03 9637 9475 www.heritage.vic.gov.auMelbourne Water 13 17 22 www.melbournewater.com.auMetropolitan Fire & Emergency Services Board 03 9662 2311 www.mfbb.vic.gov.auMP Land Victoria (Titles Office) 03 8636 2010 www.land.vic.gov.auNational Association of Testing Authorities 03 9329 1633 www.nata.asn.auPowercor Australia 13 22 06 www.powercor.com.auPlanning Institute of Australia (Victoria Division) 03 9650 4411 www.planning.org.auProperty Council of Australia 03 9650 8300 www.propertyoz.com.auReal Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) 03 9205 6666 www.reiv.com.auSPI PowerNet 03 9695 6000 www.sp-ausnet.com.auSustainability Victoria 03 8626 8700 www.sustainability.vic.gov.auTelstra Australia 03 9634 1081 www.telstra.com.auVicRoads (North West Region)03 9313 1333 www.vicroads.com.auCustomer Service Centre13 11 71Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal 03 9628 9777 www.vcat.vic.gov.auVictorian Planning & Environmental Law Association 03 9813 2801 www.vpela.org.auWilliamstown Historical Society 03 9397 5423 www.livingmuseum.org.au/williamstownWorkSafe – Victorian Workscover Authority 03 9641 1555 www.workcover.com.au