The short answer is longer than the statutory clock suggests. The useful answer depends on the pathway, the site and how well the application is prepared.
The statutory clock and the real one
Victoria's planning system gives a council 60 statutory days to decide an application, but the clock starts again when council asks for more information, and notice and referrals add time on top.
In practice, a commercial or mixed-use application of any scale in inner Melbourne commonly takes six to twelve months to a council decision. If the decision is appealed to VCAT, add another six to twelve months.
The state pathway for significant projects
The Development Facilitation Program is the state government's pathway for significant projects that meet its eligibility criteria. For office projects, eligibility turns on floor area. The Department of Transport and Planning assesses the application and the Minister for Planning decides it, with a target of about four months from lodgement.
It is not a shortcut on quality: applications still go through notice, referrals and design review. But it removes the uncertainty of a contested council process. Stephenson Street and another recent office project in Cremorne both went through this pathway.
A real timeline
A recent 13-storey office project in Cremorne:
- 2021: first application to the City of Yarra
- 2022: 10-storey permit
- 2024: amendment lodged for 13 storeys
- March 2026: 13-storey permit issued through the Development Facilitation Program
Scale, a change in the brief and a change of pathway all added time, and the building that resulted is a better one.
What slows an application down
- A brief that changes after lodgement.
- Missing technical reports: traffic, wind, sustainability, waste, acoustic, heritage.
- Requests for further information that could have been anticipated.
- A scheme that ignores the design guidance for the area and invites objection.
- Referral authorities brought in late. Transport, rail and water authorities each have their own timelines.
What speeds it up
- A pre-application meeting with the planning authority.
- A complete application with every report the controls call for.
- Early conversations with referral authorities.
- A scheme whose sustainability and public-realm commitments give the authority reasons to support it.