Town planning in the City of Port Phillip.
St Kilda · South Melbourne · Albert Park · Port Melbourne · Elwood · Balaclava · Middle Park
Port Phillip packs heritage terraces, the St Kilda Road boulevard, major mixed-use renewal at Fishermans Bend and some of Melbourne's most scrutinised streetscapes into a small, dense municipality.
Applications here are rarely simple: heritage citations, design and development controls, environmental audit requirements on former industrial land, and an engaged community mean the strategic framing of a proposal matters as much as the drawings.
We provide pre-application and feasibility advice on significant Port Phillip sites — including current strategic work on a St Kilda Road redevelopment, navigating the boulevard's layered design and heritage controls before concept design is locked in. Early advice is where money is made or lost in this municipality.
Controls you'll commonly meet in Port Phillip.
Every property is different — these are the zones and overlays that most often shape applications in this municipality. Each links to the current ordinance in the Port Phillip planning scheme.
What the numbers say about Port Phillip.
planning applications recorded, FY2015–16 to FY2022–23
of determined applications resulted in a permit or notice of decision
median time from lodgement to decision
Source: Department of Transport and Planning, Planning Permit Activity Reporting (PPARS) register — historical data to mid-2023; Port Phillip reported in 7 of the 8 years. Withdrawn and lapsed applications are excluded from the approval rate. These figures describe the council overall — your site's prospects depend on its specific controls.
Services we provide in Port Phillip.
Residential
Single dwellings, dual occupancies, multi-unit and apartment developments — the backbone of our practice.
Commercial Permits
Statutory planning strategy, lodgement and permit management for commercial, retail and industrial projects.
VCAT Appeals
Strategic advocacy when your application is refused or objected to.
Strategic Planning
Planning scheme amendments, rezonings and structure plans for long-horizon projects.
Development Advice
Know what you can build before you buy — or before you commit capital.
Renewable Energy
Solar farms, wind farms and battery storage — specialist approvals experience.
Questions we’re asked most.
If you have a question that’s not here, call us — we answer honestly, whether or not it leads to work.
- Before the architect starts, ideally before you buy. On heavily controlled land — heritage precincts, St Kilda Road, Fishermans Bend — the planning framework determines the envelope, and a feasibility-stage planning read prevents designing a scheme the controls will never support.
Got a site, a permit, or a refusal on your desk?
An obligation-free conversation is the fastest way to see if we can help. We respond within 24 hours — usually much sooner.