To avoid unnecessary expense and delays, rely on our thorough understanding of planning and development issues in a country having one of the most complex planning regimes spanning all levels of government.

Following our practical and commercial advice, clients have overcome the red tape and received the green light on developments in some of the toughest scenarios.

From securing high-density developments such as retirement villages, childcare centers, mixed-use developments and shopping centers in residential zones, to securing the building of port infrastructure for mineral export, we have steered them through a course often navigated by our property team.

Long-standing clients include well-known developers, landowners, property investors, hoteliers and consultants and our track record has been so impressive that their opponents regularly engage us on unrelated matters.

Benefit from a team experienced in:

• Defending controversial developments in high-density residential areas
• Representing operators of licensed premises, and their industry association, in planning reforms
• Speaking out on the impact of certain zoning and planning laws on economic development, urban design, and strategic planning
• Disputing exorbitant land valuations and land tax bills
• Representing developers and landowners in contaminated land disputes
• Advising on the planning and regulatory areas of environment law

With capital city population growth, planning and zoning laws are constantly evolving and our team keeps you informed of this evolution through their involvement with the Environment and Planning Law Association, Urban Taskforce, Urban Development Institute of Australia and the Planning Institute of Australia.

Ensure your development runs to plan through leveraging the experience of our property team.

Recognition

Hat Trick of Honors: Dentons lawyers shine nationally in 2026 Best Lawyers in Australia™

April 17, 2025

Dentons is proud to announce that its senior lawyers have been recognised across all three individual award categories in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia^™. In total, 40 lawyers have been recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia™ (2026 Edition), after being nominated by their peers as leading practitioners in their fields of practice, spanning 39 specialties.

Insights

Victoria’s renewable grid future: What the Draft 2025 Transmission Plan means for energy project stakeholders

May 20, 2025

Australia: Victoria’s Draft 2025 Transmission Plan (VTP) sets a strategic 15-year framework to coordinate Renewable Energy Zones and unlock significant transmission investment. The VTP signals a shift towards early engagement, regional participation, and a firm commitment to renewables, creating new opportunities and obligations for energy project developers and investors.’

Affordable housing contributions: when can a Council require them?

April 24, 2025

Australia: To provide for affordable housing, councils often impose housing affordability contributions as conditions of consent. These conditions require developers to make monetary contributions. For Council to have the authority to impose these contribution conditions, there must be an authorising provision in the local environmental plan. 

A case study of statutory construction & procedural fairness: Billyard Ave Developments Pty Limited v The Council of the City of Sydney [2025] NSWLEC 22

March 28, 2025

Australia: This is a reminder that procedural fairness is one of the tenets of our legal system. In Billyard Ave Developments Pty Limited v The Council of the City of Sydney [2025] NSWLEC 22, the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court overturned the decision of Commissioner Walsh on grounds that the Commissioner had denied the applicant procedural fairness by elevating the status of objector submissions to “evidence” and had not given the applicant an opportunity to address those matters.

View all insights for Development Zoning and Planning in Australia

News and Events

Recent Press Releases

Hat Trick of Honors: Dentons lawyers shine nationally in 2026 Best Lawyers in Australia™

April 17, 2025

Dentons is proud to announce that its senior lawyers have been recognised across all three individual award categories in the 2026 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia^™. In total, 40 lawyers have been recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia™ (2026 Edition), after being nominated by their peers as leading practitioners in their fields of practice, spanning 39 specialties.