A notice went up next door. What now?
If you have received a notice about a neighbouring application, you have a limited window to put your concerns to the council in writing. This page explains what an objection actually is, which grounds a council must weigh, and what happens after the decision.
Check the date on your notice first
The notice states the period during which the council will accept submissions. Councils will generally still consider an objection received after that date provided a decision has not yet been made — but that is discretion, not entitlement, and it is a poor position to rely on. If your notice period has closed, contact the council’s planning department and ask whether the application has been determined before assuming it is too late.
What an objection actually does
An objection is a written submission asking the council to refuse the permit, or to grant it only with changes. It is not a vote. Twenty identical form letters carry less weight than one submission that engages with the specific provisions the council must apply.
The council must consider objections it receives before deciding. Lodging one also makes you a party to any subsequent review at the Tribunal — which is the practical reason to object even where you expect the permit to issue.
Who can object
Anyone who considers they would be affected. You do not have to share a boundary, and you do not have to own the property you live in — tenants can and do object. There is no fee to lodge an objection with the council.
Your objection is not anonymous. It forms part of the application file, and the applicant is entitled to see it.
Grounds councils must weigh
An objection carries weight when it ties a real impact to a provision the decision-maker has to apply. These are the grounds that most often do that work.
Overlooking and loss of privacy
Habitable room windows and balconies looking directly into your private open space or living areas. Assessed under the overlooking standard in the residential provisions.
Overshadowing
Loss of sunlight to your private open space or north-facing windows, measured at the equinox. One of the few grounds with a numeric test behind it.
Building height, bulk and massing
Whether the scale sits comfortably against the prevailing built form — particularly where a schedule to the zone or an overlay sets a preferred height.
Setbacks and site coverage
Whether walls sit closer to boundaries, or cover more of the site, than the applicable standards contemplate.
Neighbourhood character
Whether the proposal respects the existing and preferred character described in the planning scheme. Strongest when tied to a specific policy or schedule rather than personal taste.
Traffic, parking and access
Car parking provision against the applicable rate, crossover location, and vehicle movements onto the street.
Heritage impact
Where a heritage overlay applies, whether demolition or the new form affects the significance described in the citation.
Vegetation and tree loss
Removal of canopy trees or native vegetation, where an overlay or particular provision applies to the site.
Grounds that carry little or no weight
These come up constantly and are the fastest way to have an otherwise good objection discounted:
- Loss of your view (Victoria does not protect private views as such)
- Effect on your property value
- Who the applicant or builder is
- Competition with an existing business
- Disruption during construction itself, as opposed to the finished development
What happens after the council decides
Permit refused
The applicant may seek review of the refusal. As an objector you are notified and can take part.
Notice of decision to grant
Where there are objections, the council issues a notice of decision rather than the permit itself, giving objectors a defined period to seek review before it takes effect.
Review
Review is heard by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Only those who objected to the council can seek review of a decision to grant — which is why lodging one matters even if you expect to lose at council.
Review periods are set by the notice you receive and are strict. Read the dates on the document itself rather than relying on a general figure.
Getting help with yours
Most objections fail on the same thing: they describe a genuine impact without connecting it to the provisions the council has to apply. Our Objection Letter service reads the applicant’s own planning report and the advertised plans, then sets out your grounds against the specific clauses and policies your case can rely on.
General information about the Victorian planning process, not legal advice for your matter. Dates and periods that apply to you are those stated on the notice you received.