Streamlining approvals for major projects
TYLAH DROCHMANN, Manager Quarry Approvals at Resource Victoria.
As major construction projects in Victoria progress, the demand for extractive resources continues to grow. Victoria’s demand for extractive materials is expected to increase to around 80 million tonnes in the short-term. Competing land uses, changing community preferences and regulatory complexities continue to cause delays in bringing materials to market. The need for streamlined assessment and approval pathways for quarries has never been more important.
To help streamline approvals for major projects, including resource approvals for quarries, the Minister for Planning has established the Development Facilitation Program (DFP). DFP aims to accelerate the assessment of planning applications for eligible state significant projects, injecting investment into Victoria’s economy, creating homes and keeping people in jobs.
The program is led by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), and is not exclusive to quarry approvals, however with Resources Victoria Approval Coordination (RVAC) working in collaboration, there is opportunity to expedite the end-to-end quarry approval process.
Traditionally quarry proponents seek planning permission through local council, however for state significant projects the DFP removes the decision-making authority from Council and places the decision in the hands of the Minister for Planning.
In June 2024, DTP, in conjunction with RVAC, successfully facilitated the first quarry planning approval through the DFP pathway. The approval demonstrates the program’s success in streamlining the quarry approval process and as a result, Melbourne’s metropolitan area has seen its first greenfield sand quarry in over 20 years.
The new streamlined planning process provides a groundbreaking value add for quarry proponents. Planning permits issued through the DFP pathway are exempt from third party appeal at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. This means that applications undertaken through the DFP pathway will no longer be stuck in protracted and expensive challenge processes.
If you are interested in utilising the DFP pathway, the following criteria must be met:
- The proposed new or expanded quarry must have a statutorily endorsed workplan.
- The additional resource unlocked must have a $30 million resource value.
a. The dollar per tonne value is accessible in the Earth Resources Regulator’s Annual Statistical Report. This report is updated annually. The values for 2024 are $20/t for hard rock and $18/t for sand. - The application must be for a new planning permit, not a planning permit amendment.
Quarry proponents will be required to undertake a Joint Ore Reserves Committee competent persons’ resource estimate and lodge a pre-application enquiry through the DFP portal.
Following lodgement of a pre-application enquiry, a DFP representative will organise a meeting with the applicant to discuss the project, including any technical reports that have been completed as part of the work plan statutory endorsement or further work that may be required to allow consideration of a planning permit.
It is important to note that councils will still have a role to play in providing feedback on applications to ensure there is no detrimental impacts to the local communities that quarries operate in. Quarry proponents must ensure that they still actively maintain their social licence to operate with councils and communities.
More information on DFP is available on the DTP website, or you can also reach out to Tylah Drochmann, Manager Quarry Approvals at Resources Victoria to discuss your proposal.
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