No more gas connections

Planning Scheme Amendment VC250 was gazetted on 1January 2024, prohibiting new gas connections for new dwellings, apartments and residential subdivisions where a planning permit is required. The Amendment changed all of Victoria’s Planning Schemes by:

  • amending policy to restrict the provision of new gas connections in new residential development and subdivision,
  • remove the optional requirement for a gas connection in Clauses 55/56/58 (ResCode)
  • create a specific provision at Clause 53.03 to prohibit residential reticulated gas connections to new dwellings, new apartment developments and new residential subdivisions. This provision is explicit in that it specifies that no permit is to be granted for a new dwelling, apartment development or subdivision for dwelling/apartment purposes that is to be connected to a reticulated gas service. It also requires a condition on any planning permit granted for buildings and works for a new dwelling or apartment development that:

“Any new [dwelling/apartment] allowed by this permit must not be connected to a reticulated gas service (within the meaning of Clause 53.03 of the relevant planning scheme). This condition continues to have force and effect after the development authorised by this permit has been completed.”

Clause 53.03 has transitional provisions which exempt any new applications lodged prior to 1 January 2024 and any amendment to a planning permit which was issued prior to 1 January 2024. Practitioners should be aware that any amendments to current planning permit applications under Section 50 or 57a of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (the Act), made after 1 January 2024, will reset the statutory clock to zero and this means you can no longer benefit from the Transitional Provisions of this Clause.

  • Other changes include removing regional policy support for the expansion of gas infrastructure and amending land use conditions for small second dwellings to align with the above gas prohibitions.

The amendment was introduced to assist in phasing out the use of natural gas in Victoria, supporting emissions reduction targets.

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