Town planning in the City of Whitehorse.
Box Hill · Blackburn · Mitcham · Nunawading · Burwood · Forest Hill · Vermont
Whitehorse spans two planning extremes: the Box Hill metropolitan activity centre, planned for genuine high-rise intensity, and the leafy established suburbs of Blackburn, Vermont and Mitcham, protected by neighbourhood character and landscape controls that Council enforces with conviction.
The middle ground — infill townhouse and dual-occupancy development through the General Residential areas — is where most of our Whitehorse clients operate, and where tree canopy, character response and the zone schedules decide outcomes.
From dual occupancies in Vermont South to advice on sites around the Box Hill corridor, we understand how Whitehorse balances its intensification agenda against its character policies — and how differently an application reads on either side of that line.
Controls you'll commonly meet in Whitehorse.
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 Whitehorse planning scheme.
What the numbers say about Whitehorse.
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. Withdrawn and lapsed applications are excluded from the approval rate.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.
Selected Whitehorse projects.
Services we provide in Whitehorse.
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.
- It depends on the zone schedule, the trees and the street. Whitehorse's NCO and landscape overlays protect canopy and character in many precincts, and its zone schedules vary key ResCode standards. We run a site-specific feasibility check first — a one-page answer before you spend on design.
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.