This does not change your ability to renovate your home. If you need a planning permit to renovate or rebuild your property, you should apply for a planning permit through the relevant responsible authority (which will usually be your local Council).

The responsible authority will refer relevant applications to SRLA for assessment, including any properties affected by the Special Controls Overlay 15 (SCO15), which has been in place since 2022.

SCO15 is a planning control to protect the underground tunnel infrastructure from development that, if not designed appropriately, could damage SRL East’s infrastructure, such as developments with deep foundations or multi-level basements.

A decision will not be made on the planning application until SRLA’s assessment has been undertaken.

We recommend contacting us for pre-planning advice before you lodge a planning permit to construct a building or carry out works on land affected by SCO15.

SRLA will provide a response to SCO15-related enquiries within 30 days of receiving all information. Find out more information about SCO15 and planning applications, or contact the team at infrastructure.protection@srla.vic.gov.au.

Read more about tunnelling on our Building the tunnels factsheet