A planning scheme is a legal document prepared by Council or the Minister for Planning, and approved by Minister. It contains policies and provisions that control how people can use and develop private and public land.
A planning scheme amendment (PSA) is a change to the planning scheme.
The Planning and Environment Act 1987 allows Council to initiate an amendment at the request of a person or body (private PSA). However, amendments are most commonly initiated by the Strategic Planning Team to further Council’s land use planning objectives (Council PSA).
Amendments can also be initiated by the Minister for Planning, another Minister, or state agency.
As a PSA means changing the rules applying to the land, the process may take several years of strategic work and considerable cost to support the proposal.