General News
17 May, 2025
Northern Grampians Shire Council ceases issuing building permits
Money saved from Northern Grampians Shire Council’s decision to cease issuing building permits will be important in making efficiencies leading up to the 2025/26 draft budget.
The organisation needs to make efficiencies ahead of the budget due to rate capping, coupled with costs increases above the cap.
At the May council meeting, councillors voted to stop issuing building permits effective from July 1, 2025.
applications by section 216A of the Building Act 1993.
Mayor Karen Hyslop said the decision followed a strategic review of the council’s building services, which was designed to align services with demand, optimise resource use, and ensure the organisation delivered value-for-money outcomes.
“We are in the process of developing the draft 2025-26 Annual Budget and must make decisions about how to best allocate the money we will receive from municipal rate charges. It's important that we look for efficiencies and cost savings wherever we can, and this is one area where there are alternative service providers,” she said.
“The building services review showed the current model is no longer sustainable or aligned with the community demand.
“Historically, the council has played a key role in timely permit administration and local inspection availability. However, recent trends show a decreasing reliance on council.”
A report to the council showed:
the local building work, particularly higher-value, complex projects.
cost recovery and high service expectations.
value-for-money outcomes.
Cr Hyslop said the declining permit demand presented an opportunity to rationalise operations and reinvest savings.
“It is costing the council more than $400,000 a year to issue building permits, and the majority of people in our shire applies for permits through private surveyors,” she said.
year – that is a significant amount of savings that can be put to better use as we consider our 2025-25 Annual Budget and 2025-29 Council Plan.”
Cr Hyslop said that until the council received an exemption from the Minister for Planning, it was ‘business as usual’.
“We will also still complete any permit applications we have in transit, it just means we will avoid taking on any new ones,” she said.
“There are plenty of private surveyors who provide services locally, who will no longer be competing with us for business, so this decision benefits them as well.”