Subdividing Land in Victoria
If you are subdividing land and your surveyor has prepared your proposed plan of subdivision, we can assist you with the remaining steps of:
- Lodging the proposed plans of subdivision into SPEAR
- Monitoring the lodgment and approval process
- Letting you know as soon as all plans have been successfully lodged
Subdivision Process Victoria
The process for subdividing land in Victoria is controlled by the Planning System. The planning system is regulated by local government and is designed to make sure that land is developed in a manner that includes social, sustainable, environmental, and economic considerations.
The technical aspects of subdividing land are controlled by the Subdivision Act 1988(VIC), and applications must also comply with the Planning & Environment Act 1987(VIC), and the local planning scheme.
Subdividing Land
A general guide to the process of subdividing land is as follows:
1. Work out if the land can be subdivided before you buy it
This can be done by one or all of the following:
- Having your surveyor review the title and local planning schemes
- Getting a local town planner to review the title and local planning schemes
- Contact your local council’s planning department
2. Appoint a Surveyor
A licensed land surveyor will prepare a plan of subdivision in accordance with the Subdivision Act and the Regulations as described above. The surveyor will guide applicants through the council application process and use SPEAR to apply for a planning permit for the development. The planning permit will detail the general conditions and parameters for the final approval of the subdivision.
3. Council Certification and Authority Approval
Approval from the local council and relevant authorities will now need to be obtained to allow the subdivision to go through. The relevant authorities include telecommunication bodies, electricity, gas, and water authorities, and VicRoads. To get a Statement of Compliance (SOC) any of these authorities may impose conditions on the subdivision application that need to be complied with before the above certificate can be obtained.
4. Registration of the Plan of Subdivision
This is where we come in:
- Whether there is a mortgage on title or not, we can assist you with this final step of lodging the proposed plan of Subdivision with the land titles office in Victoria via the SPEAR network.
- Although steps 1-3 of the process for subdividing land in Victoria can take anywhere from 6-18 months, this last step is usually complete within 2-4 weeks (depending on the titles office wait times).
- Once the proposed plan/s are approved by the Land Titles office Victoria, new titles with a unique volume and folio numbers will be created for the new lots.