Does your school outdoor refurbishment need a planning permit or council approval?
Planning an outdoor refurbishment at your school? Whether you’re refreshing pathways, upgrading a playground or adding a shade canopy, understanding which permits and approvals you need is an essential first step. This guide helps school business managers and facilities teams understand what to check, which questions to ask their local council and how to move their project forward with confidence.
Belcore can manage and obtain the planning permits and building permits required for your outdoor project on your behalf, coordinating applications, consultants and authority responses. Permits are issued by the relevant authority or building surveyor and remain subject to their assessment.
Start with early council advice
Contact your local council’s planning team before committing to detailed design. For a substantial refurbishment, a pre-application meeting is often a practical way to identify planning requirements, discuss feasibility and uncover potential obstacles.
Bring a simple concept showing what you want to build, where it will sit and how the space will be used. Ask which planning controls apply, whether a permit is needed and who will assess the application.
Ask your council whether your project is best handled through a pre-application meeting, a written advice request or an initial planning enquiry.
Bring a simple concept showing what you want to build, where it will sit and how the space will be used. Ask which planning controls apply, whether a permit is needed and who will assess the application.
Ask your council whether your project is best handled through a pre-application meeting, a written advice request or an initial planning enquiry.
Planning permits and building permits: what is the difference?
A planning permit concerns how land is used and developed. It considers the proposal against the applicable planning scheme.
A building permit concerns compliance with building legislation and is issued by a registered building surveyor. It addresses the proposed construction and required inspections.
Your outdoor project may require one, both or neither. An exemption from planning permission does not automatically remove building-permit requirements. If both are required, the planning permit must be obtained before the building permit can be issued. Building and Plumbing Commission guidance
“Council approval” is broader language. Always clarify whether someone means a planning permit, written planning advice or a separate permission for work affecting public assets.
Why requirements differ between school sites
Planning requirements can differ significantly between council areas, and even between neighbouring properties.
Victoria has a statewide planning framework, but each site has its own combination of zoning, overlays and local schedules. Heritage, vegetation and flooding controls can change what requires permission. Planning Victoria: planning schemes
Existing school permits and endorsed plans also need checking. An approved campus development plan does not necessarily authorise every subsequent project; a planning permit may still be required. Planning Victoria: development plan overlays
Do not assume a project is exempt because another school completed something similar.
Do government schools need planning permits?
Victorian government schools have a different pathway from independent schools.
The Department of Education states that the Minister for Education is exempt from obtaining planning permits under section 16 of the Planning and Environment Act. Accordingly, the VSBA and government schools do not require local planning permits for capital projects covered by that exemption.
However, relevant councils must be consulted during key planning phases of high-value school-led projects that may affect the community. Departmental requirements and any applicable building permits still need attention. Department of Education: school-funded capital projects
A council letter may record advice or consultation. It is not a universal substitute for every approval. Government-school facilities managers should confirm their project pathway with the relevant Department or VSBA contact.
Do independent schools need planning permits?
Independent and Catholic schools cannot simply rely on the government-school exemption. Their proposed works must be checked against the applicable planning controls and any project-specific exemptions.
For a significant new structure, such as a large tensile membrane canopy, allow for planning assessment until the requirements are confirmed. However, it would be inaccurate to say every independent-school refurbishment needs a planning permit.
The decision-maker is not always council. Planning Victoria identifies the Minister for Planning as the responsible authority for specified non-government school applications, including buildings and works at existing schools with an estimated development cost of $3 million or more. Planning Victoria: non-government school applications
BELCORE can help establish the appropriate pathway before applications are prepared.
Which outdoor projects may be exempt, and which need checking?
The table below is a preliminary screening guide, not a determination for your site. Its categories concern planning permission, building permits and other permissions require separate checks. Government-school exemptions may change the outcome.
Starting position
What to confirm
Small repairs to an existing internal footpath
Often maintenance; a new planning permit may not be needed
Same alignment, width, levels and materials; no additional works
Replacing fabric on an existing shade sail
Existing posts, footprint and height remain unchanged; no relevant restrictions
This is some text inside of a div block.
Repairing damaged sections of an existing fence
Project
Often maintenance
The work is a repair, not a redesigned or enlarged fence
Resurfacing an existing sports court
Site-specific
Changes to levels, drainage, materials, lighting or use
Installing a completely new shade sail
Site-specific
School type, new posts, size, location and applicable controls
New tensile membrane canopy or covered walkway
Allow for a planning-permit assessment
Buildings-and-works requirements, dimensions, location and exemptions
New or expanded car park or kiss-and-drop area
Allow for a planning-permit assessment
Parking layout, access, traffic, earthworks and existing approvals
New retaining walls, decks or amphitheatres
Site-specific
Height, earthworks, boundaries, overlays and structural requirements
Tree removal or major landscape changes
Site-specific
Vegetation controls, heritage restrictions and approved landscaping
New sports lighting or changed operating hours
Site-specific
Lighting impacts, use restrictions and existing permit conditions
Victoria’s planning provisions include exemptions for repairs and routine maintenance, subject to their terms and other applicable provisions. The maintenance examples above are practical applications to discuss with your planner, not blanket exemptions. Victoria Planning Provisions, clause 62.02
Is replacing an existing shade sail or footpath different from building new?
Yes. The detail of the scope matters.
Replacing worn fabric on existing shade-sail supports is different from installing new posts, enlarging the covered area or changing the structure’s height. Describe the actual work rather than simply calling it a “replacement”.
Likewise, repairing a damaged section of an internal path differs from widening the route, changing levels or creating a new connection. A public footpath outside the school boundary introduces a separate council-asset issue.
For Victorian government schools, the Department’s shade-sail policy expressly states that planning permits are not required for shade sails. It still requires structural engineering involvement and recommends council consultation where a Heritage Overlay applies. That policy should not be treated as an exemption for independent schools. Department of Education: shade sails
What if no planning permit is required?
Ask what else must be resolved before work begins.
Ask your council whether site access, use of public footpaths or road space, or work affecting public infrastructure needs separate permission.
Local example — City of Boroondara only: Boroondara’s construction management guidance identifies council-asset protection and traffic management requirements, including relevant permits. These are examples of Boroondara’s requirements, not a checklist for other municipalities. Confirm the requirements with the council responsible for your school’s location. Example: Boroondara construction management requirements
Keep written advice with the project records and check that it covers the final scope. If the design changes, revisit the advice rather than assuming the original answer still applies.
What should you prepare before contacting council?
A useful initial enquiry should include:
• The school address and whether it is government or independent.
• Photographs and a marked-up plan of the work area.
• Approximate dimensions, heights and distances from boundaries.
• A clear explanation of what stays, changes or is removed.
• Known existing permits and proposed changes to parking, trees or drainage.
You do not need to resolve every construction detail to begin the conversation. The aim is to give the planner enough information to distinguish maintenance from development and identify the next step.
Ask for the specific reason a permit is required or the exemption being relied upon. This gives your project team a useful basis for further design.
How BELCORE can manage permits on your behalf
School business and facilities managers should have a clear approval pathway before committing to construction.
BELCORE can coordinate all required planning-permit and building-permit applications for your outdoor refurbishment, including consultant documentation, council liaison, pre-application discussions and responses to requests for further information.
With your authorisation, we can manage the process of obtaining permits on your behalf. Approval remains the responsibility of the relevant authority and building surveyor.
Whether you are upgrading pathways, refurbishing a courtyard, constructing a car park or creating a covered outdoor space, the first step is understanding your site and proposed scope.
Contact BELCORE to discuss your school’s outdoor refurbishment and establish the permit pathway before detailed design begins.
This article provides general guidance for Victorian schools. Always contact your local council for site-specific advice and confirm the relevant approving authority. Requirements vary with local planning controls, school type and project scope, and may change over time.