Council offers the following ways to find out information to help you with your development.
Some minor development do not require approval from Council. These are called exempt development – you can read the list of exempt developments on the SEPP here.
Council offers a few ways to obtain information which will tell you if a property meets the general requirements for exempt development or whether your need to come and speak to our development team. One way is the Property Information Search.
Property Information Search
Council’s property data base is available online for you to find out information about the property you are wanting to develop, like -
- Area and zone of your lot/property
- Formal property detail (Lot and DP numbers)
- Planning constraints (like whether the property is flood or bushfire effected, heritage item, contaminated etc.)
All this will help you better understand the land you are seeking to develop.
Search Council's property database
The NSW Planning portal also allows you to do property searches to find out other planning controls that apply to your land.
Search the NSW Planning Portal property database
Duty Development Officer
Between the hours of 9am and 12 noon Tuesday to Thursday Council has a duty planner and building surveyor available to answer questions you may have about the planning system, about your development and/or land. This advice is provided in good faith and free of charge and is for guidance only.
Pre - Application meeting
Once you have some clear idea on what you would like to build or do, we suggest you request a pre Application meeting where you and development staff can discuss your proposal. You will need to include preliminary plans and some basic information with your application - this is a fee for service and whilst not mandatory, it is highly recommended as this can streamline your approval process saving on revisions.
Following the meeting our staff will provide written advice, addressing relevant issues which are to be addressed in your application (as a non-compliance with Council Policy) when you lodge it on the NSW Planning Portal.
You can Lodge your Pre Applications meeting electronically here
Why lodge a Pre - Application?
There are a number of reasons why the lodgement of a Pre-Development Application is recommended:
- The process is a valuable information-sharing opportunity between you and Council staff.
- You will receive written feedback that will assist you with the preparation of your Application.
- You will be advised on key issues which may lead to a change in the design of your proposal before detailed plans are prepared.
- The efficiency of the Application process can be improved by ensuring that the requirement information is provided to Council upfront.
As part of Council's Pre-Development Application response, you can expect:
- An indication on the permissibility of your proposal and any relevant development standards, controls and policies which should be addressed at the lodgement stage.
- An indication of any issues which require further consideration or the need for specialist reports to be submitted as part of the preparation of an Application with Council.
Please note - Addressing recommendations in Council's Pre-Application advice letter might not take into account the views of the community, and/or other government authorities and therefore does not imply that your proposal will absolutely gain Council approval