CEO Update – VPA Business Plan 2021/22

The Minister for Planning has approved our Victorian Planning Authority Business Plan 2021/22.

For the last 18 months we have been focusing on delivering the VPA’s Fast Track Program to support economic recovery, and we’ve also made significant headway in developing and applying frameworks for ensuring and building productive partnerships. Over the course of 2021/22, we will resource and prioritise workload to complete the Fast Track Program, while also positioning the VPA to help build Victoria’s economic recovery over the coming years.

While our ability to take on new projects this year is limited due to our focus on Fast Track and the compounding effect of COVID-related disruptions across the sector, the business plan sets us up to commence a number of projects that set us up to start delivering our new Victorian Planning Authority Strategic Plan 2021/24.

Once the Fast Track Program is complete, we will focus on preparing for the Minister’s approval on a proposal to lead a pipeline of planning projects that will add to land and housing supply in established Melbourne and regional cities and towns. We will also be maintaining momentum on our “50,000 lots and jobs” commitment in outer Melbourne, lifting the bar on our PSP process and outcomes in line with our new PSP Guidelines, and working across government to better sequence and coordinate infrastructure with development.

All of this will be giving effect to the Victorian Government’s commitment to creating 20-minute neighbourhoods in urban growth areas across Victoria – creating communities that are prosperous, liveable and sustainable.

Highlights:

• The Melbourne Growth Corridors program continues to maintain 15 years zoned supply, with a focus on completing the Fast Track projects, delivering the 50,00 lots and 50,000 jobs program and finalising the last of the “uncoupled” ICPs. We have progressed our forward pipeline by elevating the priority of five PSPs and will continue to pilot alternative delivery methods. We will also work within government to identify the next tranche of PSPs to be readied for pre-commencement as funding and resources are secured.
• We will be continuing our work on PSP reform by finalising and delivering our new Precinct Structure Planning Guidelines, continuing our work to streamline our processes using our PSP 2.o methodology, and working on improved models for infrastructure coordination.
• We have a number of important projects to complete in established Melbourne: supporting redevelopment at Arden, Preston Market and more. We are also identifying options for an increased future role in planning for targeted growth in activity centres more broadly.
• We will continue the Streamlining for Growth projects, including 22 grants to councils (eight of which are to regional councils) to unlock local growth, as well as continuing work on the new volume of our Small Lot Housing Code.
• In regional Victoria we will prioritise the completion of projects in Wonthaggi and Bannockburn. We will also be working to identify a pipeline of projects to help meet looming land supply shortages in some regional cities and peri-urban towns.
• We continue to work with our colleagues in state departments and agencies to develop new models to better align land use and infrastructure pipelines, with a recent focus on the northern metropolitan growth corridor.
• As an organisation, we will continue to invest in the development of our approach to hybrid working and our ability to communicate with you using a full suite of digital tools as appropriate. 
• Finally, the Business Plan incorporates our work to map our new Strategic Plan 2021-24 into our future work programs, continuation of our commitment to considering the implications of COVID-19 for our planning and other key priorities such as supporting the planning reform work underway in government.

View the full Victorian Planning Authority Business Plan 2021/22 on the VPA website.