Bushfire Management Overlay

The Victorian Government reviewed the Bushfire Management Overlay in 2017 updating our planning scheme maps to include more properties in the overlay.

These important changes have made new homes, our communities and the environment safer and more resilient to bushfire.

The Bushfire Management Overlay is a planning control applied to properties with the potential to be affected by extreme bushfires. Planning permits may be required to build or develop land in the Bushfire Management Overlay.

If your property is in the Bushfire Management Overlay, you may need a planning permit to build or develop your land, and you will need to meet bushfire protection requirements.

For more information and to check if your property is affected by the BMO go to planning.vic.gov.au

If you feel that your property should not be included in the BMO there is an opportunity to request a review. These are done on a six monthly basis with applications being assessed under the relevant mapping criteria. An example of this is when a plantation has been harvested and returned permanently to pasture. For further information on the review process and the mapping criteria, click here 

You can also contact Council's Planning Unit on (03) 5772 0333 to access advice on the planning process and what you will need to do to build or develop your land.

Click here for more general information on zones and overlays.