Through Australia’s history, private developers have introduced restrictive covenants to property titles. Typical private covenants stipulate building materials, limit dwelling numbers, and prohibit particular land uses or the sale of alcohol. Covenants, like zoning, have tended to “put the single-family, owner-occupied home at the pinnacle...

Using data from VCAT’s registry from July 2012 to June 2014, this paper examines the role of direct costs in influencing planning participation by both planning applicants and objectors across the Melbourne metropolitan area.