MAV Rural and Regional Planning Conference

Damien Kennedy, Director, Regional VictoriaVictorian Planning Authority

31 May 2019

Your partner in planning great places for a growing Victoria

VPA working with partners to deliver strategic planning projects

Victorian Government PrioritiesThe VPA - who we are

Partnering with DELWP, DJPR and

a wide range of stakeholders,

including communities, councils and

industry, to set plans that enable

others to build future communities

Key role in delivering

Government’s urban growth

management agenda for

Melbourne and the regions

Reporting to the

Minister for Planning

via the VPA board

Land use planning and

infrastructure charging and

co-ordination for designated

areas in:

Melbourne’s Greenfields

established Melbourne

regional cities & peri-

urban towns

Deliver spatial planning for

urban growth

Undertake place-based

planning

Translate policy into place

Work in partnership

Government context

Ensures strong

economic

performance by

growing industries

and regions

Our key Partner -

Leads cities and

regional growth

policy to deliver

positive outcomes

for everyone who

lives, works,

invests in and

visits Victoria

Your partner in

planning great

places for a

growing Victoria

Develop and

revitalise public

buildings and land

to create spaces

and homes that

help make Victoria

a great place to

live

Plans, builds and

operates an

integrated,

sustainable and

safe transport

system for

Australia’s fastest-

growing state

Department of

Environment,

Land, Water

and Planning

(DELWP)

Department of

Transport

(DOT)

Department of

Jobs, Precincts

and Regions

(DJPR)

Victorian

Planning

Authority

(VPA)

Development

Victoria

(DV)

Our operating environment

VPA project roles

Streamlining for Growth – Program Overview

Four year $24 million program funded by the Victorian

State Government and managed by the Victorian

Planning Authority (VPA)

Provides support and capacity building for councils in

regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne, through

targeted funding and staff resources

Aims to unblock delays and find efficiencies in the

strategic and statutory planning system to speed up the

delivery of land for homes and jobs

Since 2016, 168 projects have been funded to the value

of $15.4m

Streamlining for Growth – Funded projects

Streamlining for Growth – Program Overview

Program is delivered in five streams:

Strong Engagement with Local Government:

35 Regional and 28 Metropolitan Councils involved.

*This figure includes a project to the Peri-Urban Group of Councils as well as Growth Area Councils in Greenfields and Post PSP streams

Stream Projects Councils Value

Strategic Sites 20 10 $3,006,335

Metro Established 15 11 $1,911,367

Metro Greenfields 25 7 $1,451,660

Regional 77 35 $6,215,785

Post PSP Streamlining 31 7 $2,809,691

Total 168 63* $15,394,838

Streamlining for Growth – Regional

Stream Objectives:

Respond to Regional Growth Plans, and are in regional cities,

regional centres or peri-urban towns

Locations are identified to either promote or support growth in RGPs

Master planning for strategic sites

Builds capacity in local councils

Current Projects include:

Ballarat long Term Growth Options Investigation

Unlocking Greater Bendigo's potential (Bendigo) Master planning for

strategic sites (Golden Square Revitalisation Plan, Progression of

Regional Employment and Innovation Cluster project, and Bendigo

West framework plan)

Shepparton Mooroopna Strategic Framework Plan

Streamlining for Growth – Future Focus

Emerging Government Directions

Regions

Priority Precincts

Infrastructure sequencing

Affordable Housing

VPA Priorities

Streamlining Plan Delivery and Post PSP Approvals

Priority Precincts

Melbourne Renewal Precincts

Regional Cities and Towns

Melbourne Growth Corridors

Planning Solutions and Innovation

Infrastructure Planning and Coordination

Other Grant Programs

• The Victorian Government’s Grants and Programs website provides connections and information to a range of grant programs

• Go to “Grants and Programs” page at VIC.GOV.AU

https://www.vic.gov.au/grants?page=8

• You can search all the different grants program

6 suggestions for better applications

1. Discuss your proposal early

2. Align program and project objectives

3. Get the project scope right

4. Define realistic project timeline and milestones

5. Determine the resources required to deliver

6. Know what product/s you intend to deliver

Discuss your proposal early

• Begin discussions with the grant program operators as soon as possible – even before a grant program opens

• Ask questions about the purpose of the grant program

• Test your ideas for a project to see whether it is likely to fit the program objectives

• Arrange a meeting to discuss your project idea

• The VPA can assist applicants to develop their projects and identify the best way to deliver them

• Projects may be able to be delivered by a grant only or a combination of grant and VPA or other resources

Align program and project objectives

• Address the program objectives and make sure your project purpose and objectives are aligned

• Criteria for meeting the program objectives need to be satisfied

• For example, the Streamlining for Growth program has the following aims:

• build council capacity through grants and assistance

• ensure a land supply pipeline to facilitate regional growth

• implement Regional Growth Plans

• undertake master planning for strategic sites

• If you’re uncertain speak with the funding provider – the VPA in the case of Streamlining applications.

• VPA on-line application process includes a series of questions including how your application meets the program objectives.

Align program and project objectives

Get the project scope right

• A well defined project scope crucial to gaining funding approval and delivery of the project

• Determine what is in and out of scope

• Unclear scope will impact on funding, timing, resources & stakeholders

• Project with poor scope will soon get behind schedule and jeopardise achieving the outcomes sought

• Accurately estimating project timing, engagement requirements and approval steps are common problems

• Think carefully about project governance – e.g. how do I brief councillors, role of steering and technical working committees, how often they should meet etc.

Define realistic project timeline and milestones

• Think carefully about how long a project will take and map out a realistic project timeline and milestones

• Timing needs to take into account issues such as obtaining resources, procurement and the approval process

• Look for agile processes to get sign off if you are aiming to deliver a project within tight deadlines e.g. out of session briefings, verbal briefings, etc.

• Typically, a fund such as Streamlining for Growth provides for a project to be delivered within a single financial year. If you think a project will take longer, and that additional funding could be procured from the same or another source you could break it into stages

• Identify key project milestones and stick to them

Determine the resources required to deliver

• Think about the resources you have available within your organisation and externally to undertake the project

• This needs to be considered as part of the scoping.

• Grant applications typically ask how much funding is required and what other resources will be contributed towards a project e.g. council in-kind, third party funding

• Governments are operating in a more fiscally challenging environment so it is important to make your application competitive. Ambit claims for large grants are rarely successful so be realistic.

• If you under estimate the resources required the project will be in jeopardy.

• It’s good practice to discuss resourcing with the funding provider such as VPA to work out what is needed to deliver the project.

• For projects that will facilitate development, seek third party funding opportunities from landowners and developers.

Know what product/s you intend to deliver

• Be clear about the product you want to deliver with grant funding when you make your application

• Talk to DELWP or VPA about the planning tools that are available to achieve the strategic outcome you want

• Consider established tools in the standard suite of zones, overlays and particular provisions

• A PSP may not be the solution – this product was originally created for high growth areas in Melbourne’s outer suburbs. In regional Victoria it may require a different approach such as a Development Plan.

• If you are still unsure of the best solution and its requires further discussion this can be mentioned in your application.

Our toolbox – how we plan for growth

Our toolbox – how we plan for growth