The Victorian Government has handed back responsibility for 21 strategic sites to their local metropolitan councils.

State Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, said that planning responsibility for key sites such as the Supreme Court, Malthouse Theatre and the University of Melbourne will be given back to a number of metropolitan councils.

Eleven of the latest sites to be handed back to councils are located in the City of Melbourne and ten projects are based in nine other metropolitan municipalities with notable sites including the Whitten Oval redevelopment in Footscray, the Northern Sewerage Project across the northern suburbs, and the Wesley Church property in Lonsdale Street in the CBD.

Other significant CBD sites are the recently redeveloped Victorian College of Arts Secondary School, South Wharf, University Square and the MTC and Recital Hall in Southbank Boulevard.

 “A number of these sites to be redeveloped, such as the Fountain Gate Town Centre, are sites of local significance and will require detailed Council input and as such the Coalition Government believes that the relevant local council is best placed to manage them,” Mr Guy said.

The move follows recent decisions to hand back planning responsibility to Councils for Waterfront Place in Port Melbourne, and the Tooronga Village development in Glen Iris.