In a letter forwarded by the architects last week, the Minister has been warned that "architectural practice in small to medium scale work has now become an impossible task because of the endless delays in getting council approval even for the simplest of projects".

Also of great concern to the architects is the enormous cost impost on inner-city home owners wanting to undertake simple house extensions - in one quoted but typical case, a second storey extension, which didn't overlook or overshadow adjoining properties, took 18 months to finally win approval.

"In the process it required the services of 2 design architects, 2 heritage architects, a builder, a town planner, a lawyer and a VCAT hearing to unravel planning's mishandling of this modest proposal" the letter says.

"This imposed an unacceptable and unnecessary level of stress and cost on the home owners".

The architects blame poorly resourced and inexperienced local councils combined with unnecessarily complex planning schemes. "This is a volatile mix creating a climate for contradictory advice, indecision, confusion and endless delays" say the architects".

Rescode's 'drawn out' introduction is also cited as simply adding fuel to the fire. "The confusion it created has pushed good experienced planners out of local government".

"Furthermore Rescode has spourned an unhealthy planning 'culture' where time doesn't matter, where inaction is better than action and where you don't approve it if it's different" say the architects.

One signatory, Michael Markham winner of several Royal Australian Institute of Architects' design awards, says that the planning system is not about achieving good design.

"It is more concerned with putting up barriers to creative design talent. If we achieve a good design outcome it's in spite of the 'so called' planning system".

"What also concerns us", says renowned Melbourne architect Kerstin Thompson, "is that this city's reputation for innovation and creativity in residential design is being seriously undermined by the 'system'. Indeed a whole design industry, including associated professions covering small scale residential development, is now under threat".

The architects have called for wide ranging reforms to resurrect planning as a positive component of the design and development process. These include:

" Immediate injection of design skills and planning experience into councils at the State Government's expense;
" Immediate appointment of more VCAT members ("where it now takes up to 9 months to have relatively simple appeals processed");
" Rewriting of heritage controls in inner-city planning schemes to provide certainty as to intent and outcome;
" Dropping the much publicised blanket 'neighbourhood character' overlays ("because these will become yet another source of indecision, confusion and conflict") and replacing them with 'envelope controls' only where there is a demonstrated need in 'sensitive residential neighbourhoods';
" Reviewing the practicality of Rescode's new amenity standards for the built up areas of the inner-city;
" Easing VCAT's workload by weeding out appeals where there clearly isn't a case to answer ("by adopting the equivalent of a committal process");
" Removal of a planning permit requirement for single storey rear extensions ("as these are an unnecessary load on the planning system");
" Upgrade training by:
- properly instructing councils and planning officials on their legal obligations under administrative law when exercising discretionary power under planning schemes;
- making 'residential development control' at council level a specialty stream of the design professions.

Organiser of the letter, architect & town planner Mr Damien Bonnice, said that what started out as an initiative from a few architects attracted signatures from over 100 within a week.

"If the letter had been circulated for another 2 to 3 weeks over 1000 architects would have signed it - that how serious the issues are. Clearly the Government must heed the call and take action" Mr Bonnice said.

[PRESS RELEASE]