Your Melbourne west growth-corridor approval guide
The City of Melton is one of Victoria's fastest-growing municipalities, covering Melton, Cobblebank, Rockbank, Fraser Rise, Aintree and Eynesbury. Building is overwhelmingly new homes on PSP-governed greenfield lots with estate design guidelines, on flat basalt-plain land.
Precinct Structure Plans + estate guidelines
Most Melton lots sit within a VPA Precinct Structure Plan and a developer estate (Woodlea, Atherstone, Bloomdale) with design guidelines your home must meet.
Growth Areas Infrastructure Contribution (GAIC)
GAIC can apply to land in the contribution area. Confirm whether it affects your parcel.
Flat reactive-clay sites
Melton's flat basalt plains build efficiently but commonly have reactive clay, get a soil report and a site-specific quote rather than an advertised base price.
Victoria separates planning permits (about land use, from your council) and building permits (about construction methods, from a Relevant Building Surveyor). You usually need the planning permit FIRST, then the building permit.
Check zoning + overlays
Use VicPlan (planning-schemes.app.planning.vic.gov.au) or your council's interactive map to identify the zone, any heritage overlay, character area, environmental overlay or growth area zone that applies to your block.
Planning permit (if required)
If your project needs a planning permit (most heritage / character-area / larger developments do), lodge with your council. VicSmart is a fast-tracked pathway available for some minor applications.
Appoint a Relevant Building Surveyor (RBS)
The RBS must be appointed by the OWNER (not the builder). Choose either a municipal or private building surveyor. This is a legal requirement in VIC.
Building Permit Number (BPN) via BAMS
Your RBS applies for a 13-digit BPN through the Building Activity Management System (BAMS). Since 26 November 2025 a new formula for the Calculated Cost of Works (CoW) applies. New BAMS reporting fields (including mandatory architect status) took effect 20 March 2026.
Building Permit Levy
Required for works costing over $10,000. Rate: 0.00064 general levy + 0.00064 DBDRV levy of the CoW. Pay via the BPC secure portal (BPAY or card). Your RBS cannot issue the permit until the BPN is received.
Construction, inspections + occupancy
Build proceeds under RBS inspection at prescribed stages. On completion, the RBS issues an Occupancy Permit (or Certificate of Final Inspection for extensions).
These are STATE fees, identical across every Melbourne council. Your council may charge additional planning-permit application fees on top, see per-council notes below.
On a titled PSP lot with no overlay, a single new dwelling usually needs only a building permit plus estate design approval. Confirm with the City of Melton, as overlays or a knockdown rebuild can change this.
They are the developer's rules for facade, setbacks, fencing, landscaping and build timeframes in estates like Woodlea or Atherstone. They sit on top of council and building-permit requirements and are approved by the estate, not the council, so give them to your builder before you sign.
The most reactive clay in metro Melbourne. Class H2 and E slabs are normal, and articulation joints are not optional.
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