The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) can issue general licences for the use of crown land for non-agricultural purposes such as gravel extraction, community halls, water storage, recreation and tourism. However, certain types of uses may require additional approvals or be subject to special assessment processes such as extractive industry operations.

In those cases, general crown land licence applications may be considered in conjunction with the other approval processes that may be required to approve the project, such as a planning permit.

General crown land licences can be issued for between one and 10 years, depending on the nature of the use and the relevant legislation. Your local council will determine whether it charges rates on licensed crown land and the licensee must pay all rates and charges set.

If you hold a crown land licence, you do not have the right to exclude others from the licence area. A licence provides a right only to carry out the activity specified in the licence. If you require exclusive use of the land it is probably better to apply for a lease rather than a licence.

The DSE are responsible for issuing general crown licences, so if you wish to apply for one, contact your local DSE office. To view a web page containing further information on this topic go to the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment website - www.dse.vic.gov.au.