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Insights

VCAT MONTHLY

Read the planning tea leaves with our monthly VCAT and planning insights.

Clear, practical takes on key tribunal decisions and planning trends from our expert team.

VCAT Review April 2026

Another quiet month for decisions in the Land and Environment Division of VCAT with just 29 reported decisions in April. As always, there were a several decisions of interest but firstly a shout out to Towong Shire Council for making their first appearance in VCAT decisions since 2020! Somewhat of an achievement, though their appearance last month is one they’d probably prefer to forget…

VCAT Review March 2026

A quiet month for the Tribunal in April with just the 31 planning decisions published. Of these decisions, Bridgford v Stonnington CC [2026] VCAT 199 was the first (at least as far I’m aware) to test the review rights available to objectors under the new Clause 55 provisions.

How a 50‑Year Zoning Error Survived in Plain Sight 

Planning scheme reviews are often dismissed as routine housekeeping. But occasionally, they expose something far more consequential: a long‑standing planning error that has quietly shaped land use outcomes for decades.
VCAT Advocacy Glossop Town Planning

VCAT Review February 2026

The Tribunal published 42 planning decisions in the Land and Environment Division in February. Eagle-eyed observers will note the change of language in this opening sentence to reference ‘planning decisions’ and ‘Land and Environment Division’. This is due to the Planning and Environment List being no more as of 2 February (see https://www.vcat.vic.gov.au/news/new-structure). Many practitioners will have already noticed this change on Orders coming through.

VCAT Review January 2026

The issuing of Tribunal decisions in the Planning and Environment List did not pause over the new year period with 11 further decisions recorded in the back half of December and a further 24 decisions in January.

Final VCAT Review for 2025

With VCAT shut from the 25th through to the 4th and much of the profession likewise on holidays over the Christmas/ New Year period, an extra special recap of VCAT decisions in the Planning and Environment List to include not only November but also the first half of December (well up to 12 December). For lovers of stats: 33 decisions were reported in November, with 16 so far in December.

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