Town planning in the City of Stonnington.
Malvern · Toorak · Armadale · Prahran · South Yarra · Glen Iris · Malvern East
Stonnington packs some of Victoria's most valuable residential land into a small municipality, and the planning scheme reflects it: heritage precincts across Malvern, Armadale and Toorak, Neighbourhood Residential Zones over much of the established fabric, and design controls along the Chapel Street and High Street corridors.
Applications here are contested and closely assessed. Council's heritage advisers and urban designers are active participants in most applications of consequence, objection rates are high, and a proposal that has not been tested against the heritage citation and character policy before lodgement usually pays for the omission at VCAT.
We run Stonnington applications with the assumption they will be scrutinised — heritage impact framed against the actual citation, character responses argued street by street, and VCAT strategy considered from day one. A significant share of our Stonnington work arrives as referrals after a refusal, which shapes how we prepare the first application.
Controls you'll commonly meet in Stonnington.
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 Stonnington planning scheme.
Services we provide in Stonnington.
Residential
Single dwellings, dual occupancies, multi-unit and apartment developments — the backbone of our practice.
Feasibility Report
Can your block be subdivided? A planner-reviewed desktop report for any Victorian address — $275 inc. GST, delivered within 24 hours on business days.
Commercial Permits
Statutory planning strategy, lodgement and permit management for commercial, retail and industrial projects.
VCAT Appeals
Strategic advocacy at the Tribunal — for applicants fighting a refusal, and for objectors challenging a permit.
Strategic Planning
Planning scheme amendments, rezonings and structure plans for long-horizon projects.
Protection Works
Form 7 and Form 8 notices under the Building Act — acting for building owners, adjoining owners and surveyor referrals. Victoria only.
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.
- Almost always, yes. The Heritage Overlay controls demolition and visible change, not the ability to extend. The pattern that succeeds in Stonnington is retention of the principal facade and roof form with contemporary additions set behind the sight lines. What the citation actually says about your property matters more than the overlay's existence — that is where we start.
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.