I have finally got my head around this whole planning permit application process. I don’t like it, and I think it is a huge waste of time, but I have my head around it.
As all planning applications are public documents, it was easy enough for me to access applications that other galleries have lodged in the past. It took two days, but the planning officer at the City of Stonnington dug them out of the archives for me. This has been helpful for 2 reasons –
- I was able to see the errors and omissions on those applications and the areas where the council required additional information. Hopefully this will ensure that my application can be ‘complete and correct’ the first time
- I was able to see the timeframes between the initial application and the approval of the permit. In one case it was three months and in the other, four.
I’ve stopped stressing about these timeframes as we are developing some creative ways to deal with these hurdles. Necessity is the mother of invention, so we’re getting inventive. Watch this space for further details…