Planning and Development Law

This subject is not offered in 2015.

The pre-teaching period commences four weeks before the subject commencement date. From this time, students are expected to access and review the Reading Guide that will be available from the LMS subject page and the subject materials provided by the subject coordinator, which will be available from Melbourne Law School. Refer to the Reading Guide for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences.

Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.

The Melbourne Law Masters welcomes applications from students with disabilities. The inherent academic requirements for study in the Melbourne Law Masters are:

• The ability to attend a minimum of 75% of classes and actively engage in the analysis and critique of complex materials and debate;
• The ability to read, analyse and comprehend complex written legal materials and complex interdisciplinary materials;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate in writing a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and to critically evaluate these;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate orally a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
• The ability to work independently and as a part of a group;
• The ability to present orally and in writing legal analysis to a professional standard.

Students who feel their disability will inhibit them from meeting these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit: www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject examines the law applicable to planning and development projects within Victoria. A detailed analysis of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic) and its application will be supplemented by an examination of the various political and economic aspects that are continually at play in the Victorian Planning Regime. The subject will also address the interaction of the Victorian Planning Regime with a number of other statutory processes relevant to the development of land within Victoria, such as those contained within the Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic), the Subdivision Act 1988 (Vic), and the Building Act 1993 (Vic).

A key component of the subject will be a case study concerning a hypothetical development proposal.

Principal topics will include:

• The conceptual framework for planning law in Victoria
• Economic and political theories that attempt to explain why, and how, planning law governs the control of land in cities and suburbs, for whose benefit, and at whose cost
• Evaluation of the various components of the Victorian planning regime, focusing on the operation of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic) and the Victoria Planning Provisions
• The role of key actors under the Victorian planning regime (such as the Victorian Minister for Planning and municipal councils) and the key processes established under the regime
• The review of decisions made under the regime (both in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Supreme Court of Victoria) and the powers available to relevant planning authorities under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic)
• Particular problems that plague the Victorian planning system such as the fair and equitable distribution of undesirable land uses, the limitation of urban sprawl within metropolitan Melbourne, the appropriate level of public participation in decision-making processes and the need to deliver sound planning outcomes in a timely and efficient manner
• The interaction of the Planning and Environmental Act 1987 (Vic) and the Building Act 1993 (Vic).

A student who has successfully completed this subject should:

• Understand the operation of the key components of the Victorian planning regime
• Appreciate the role played by different actors within the Victorian planning regime (such as the Minister for Planning, local governments, developers and objectors)
• Be familiar with the nature, scope and operation of the various avenues for review of decisions made under the Victorian planning regime
• Understand how the Victorian planning regime interacts with other statutory processes, including those contained within the Environment Protection Act 1970 (Vic), the Environmental Effects Act 1978 (Vic), the Subdivision Act 1988 (Vic) and the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998 (Vic)
• Appreciate different historical and theoretical underpinnings of planning law.

• Class participation (10%)
• 2500 word (maximum) advisory report (15%)
• 7,500 word research paper (75%) on a topic approved by the subject coordinator

Core subject materials will be provided free of charge to all students. Some subjects require further texts to be purchased. Details regarding any prescribed texts will be provided prior to the commencement of the subject.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

This subject has a quota of 30 students. Please refer to the website www.law.unimelb.edu.au/masters/courses-and-subjects/subjects/subject-timing-and-format for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.