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Accepting or rejecting a new application

Acceptance or rejection is a mandatory action for the relevant Responsible Authority once an application has been submitted through SPEAR.

Accepting a new application signifies that the application is complete enough to be processed by the Responsible Authority. Accepting an application should occur at the same time the Responsible Authority registers it in their Planning Register.

If the application type is a planning permit application then the Responsible Authority will have the option when accepting the application to modify the Proposal Details and/or the Planning Category(s) associated with the application, if the planning officer believes that the applicant has made an error. Having accepted the application, the Responsible Authority always has the option to request further information from the applicant through SPEAR.

Section 32 applications: Unless a plan meets the requirements of Section 32AI, the Unanimous Resolution of the Owners Corporation or a VCAT Order must be supplied. For more information see Help Page - Confirm 32AI Declaration.

On this screen any online payments made by the applicant will also be displayed. Payments will only be displayed if the Responsible Authority has opted to accept payments through the payment gateway provided by SPEAR.

A notification is sent to the applicant advising them of the decision to either accept or reject the application.

Steps

To accept or reject an application the following needs to be completed:

1. Select the mandatory action 'Perform Application Acceptance/Rejection'.
2. Choose from one of the two available options and then click on the 'OK' button:
   • Council accepts this application
   • Council rejects this application
3. Where the application contains a planning permit component, indicate or confirm whether the application meets the VicSmart criteria before clicking on the 'OK' button:
   • Council accepts the application as a VicSmart application
   • Council accepts the application, but the application does not meet VicSmart criteria
4. A confirmation message is displayed on the Details screen.

To modify the VicSmart status after an application has been lodged with the Responsible Authority, refer to Help page - Modify application document details.

For more information on VicSmart, visit VicSmart - a simpler planning permit process.

Add reference numbers

Responsible Authorities must add their reference numbers to the SPEAR application. The reference numbers will be available to all parties involved in the application via the 'References' drop-down list in the header and from the Contacts Tab.

Steps

To add your reference numbers to an application you need to complete the following:

1. Select the mandatory action 'Enter Responsible Authority Reference Numbers'.
2. On the Enter Responsible Authority Reference Numbers screen, enter the appropriate information in the fields provided. The fields will accept alpha and numeric characters.
3. You must also select your Designated Contact(s) from the drop-down list of your organisation's SPEAR users. You may elect to notify them that they have been nominated as the designated contact for the application (Note: Users must have the Designated Contact box in their user profile checked to appear in the Designated Contact drop-down list). Click on 'ok'.
4. A confirmation message will be displayed. Click on 'return' to go back to the Details screen.

The Responsible Authority Reference Numbers will appear on the Details screen with a notation of 'Supplied'. There is an option to modify the information if required.

If you require further information, see User Guide 2 - Receiving a new application in SPEAR.