Important information and key documents:
This is the new home page for the site. The SOS association has closed as of mid-2020 (see below) but there is a lot of useful planning information on our site.
This will remain available via our normal web address (<sos.asn.au>) where online inquiries will be redirected via an automatic link to the archived version of the site maintained by the National Library of Australia.
Please refer to the menu above for town planning advice – in particular:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – including our Residents’ Guide to Objecting, the LIV Free Legal Service.
- SOS newsletters and eUpdates (most editions from 1998 to 2020)
- SOS Submissions and planning/VCAT policies
- VCAT Reform – SOS reform papers on VCAT policy & research, plus the recommendations of the 2002 Whitney Report into Local Policy, Amended Plans at VCAT, and Enforcement
- Submissions and Planning Critiques
- Flawed Cases File – typical cases that illustrate the daily flaws in council administration of planning & enforcement applications
- Editorial – Fed. Election 2016 (includes key background references relating to democracy and sustainability)
SOS has also cooperated with legal NGO Environmental Justice Australia in producing a detailed research report into the flaws of the Victorian planning regime, titled “Restoring community confidence in land use planning in Victoria: Fixing flaws and restoring democracy under the Planning and Environment Act 1987“. The report is available on the EJA website at: http://www.envirojustice.org.au/category/reports/
OTHER LINKS:
If our advice pages are not sufficient and you require further assistance, please contact your local planning group – see Community & Lobby Groups