Going to my local council

hi property passion
pick a local architect he should be able to organise most of the council requirements as long as be works in that area.
if its in sydney I can give you a few I work with

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Love to know how you went with it today, I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing, although 4 local architects in the area don’t know how to return calls.

Roy H.
L.R.E.A., Dip FS (FP)
Guardian Property Specialists (GPS)
http://www.gpsnetwork.com.au

hi all
first don’t use a draftsman use an architect i’m not going to explain the difference but its the difference between the tradesman and the labourer both can do the job just one is usually a little better at it.
second don’t ask receptionist what you can get on this site, the only thing I ask receptionist to do is to put me thru to the planner.
Third if you have problem getting to talk to architect in your local area, is do one of two things try try and try again or tell them that its a possible 20 unit development site you will get a call back on that one straight away.

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hi Property Passion
were is it.
I usually take a unit development 6 month not a unit.
If in nsw they are required to tell you within 3 weeks and max 3 months.
first see what the drawer says(i told you I don’t degrade people).
Them put in the da
when they advertise they say who the planner is remember his name(very important and if its a funny greek or italian name write it down and go to a greek or italian shop and practice until you get his name right and they say its right) he’s your new friend and as a friend go down to the council introduce who you are give him land line, mobile, fax numbers, see if any issues and address there and then.
If you have to ring who ever do it there and then show him you are in charge, and if any issue you are there for him to ring you and only you.
If complaints same thing ask does he need you to attend when he meets the neighbours he will say no because he has to but stress to him you would like to clear any issues and how long will it take.
If he wants a round balcony and yours is square you’ve got round balconies, if you want it out quick.
This may seem extreme but I have dealt with lots of councils and they think there gods so if you want the god to give you your da or cc you have to play there game.
I have had to sit in a council for 7 hours after my alloted appointment which had been organised and confirmed 2 days earlier to make this point.
This week alone I have been to 4 appointments with plannerS that they have not turned up because they are sick and told nobody.
so as I say welcolme to the land of developing.
have fun I do

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“Secondly, the lady at the desk told me that the council is currentl rejecting and applications for double story units in back yards, which is a shame because thats what i was planning.”

Currently? What does “currently” mean. Double storey units in back yards are either acceptable under the current development plan or they aren’t. If they are not accepting applications because a new development plan has just been implemented which precludes double storeys in back yards, that is one thing. But if the council just has decided that there will be moratorium on double storey units without being specified in the Plan then you should ask lots more questions and take the matter further.

God I love a stoush! My epitaph will be ” if you don’t like the answer, appeal it”.

Cheers all

K

Right!!! as a fully qualified town planner – no more planner bashing!

First:
Is your proposal permissible in the land use zone?

This is the fundamental point. You need to find out what you are and aren’t allowed to do on the land. I assume that you are in a medium or high density residential zone and already know that you can build a unit/units/town house/villa/residential flat building/medium density development/granny flat (just some of the many names for units).

Second:
Find out what the design restrictions are for the type of development you are proposing. By design restrictions I mean permissible gross floor area (GFA), maximum density, private and public landscaped openspace, car parking numbers, side boundary set backs, design appearance, heritage issues and the list goes on. A good planner will point you in the right direction for where all the relevant controls are located (or hidden!) within the Council’s planning controls.

Third:
Armed with a good idea of what Council requires you can design a development that meets Council’s controls and objectives and you will have a smoother process ahead of you. If you have tried to fit say, 6 units on the block and the controls only permit 3 then good luck!

Four:
Get yourself a good designer to do your plans. I have seen great plans by draftspersons and dodgy plans by architects and vice versa so it doesn’t really matter. The plans need to be clear and professional and you should also provide a brief report that outlines the key features of the development and discuss how it addresses all of the Council requirements. Council planners love this because it makes their job easier and they will appreciate the effort. A lot of Councils require this report anyway but try and make it as detailed as possible.

Five:
Someone said once you have submitted your development application hassle the planner a lot. This is kind of true. The reason some approvals take as long as six months is that there is a dramatic shortage of planners (in NSW anyway – don’t know about other states) and the work load is high. Sometimes a bit of hassling can help.

There a lot of other things in the development process that I have missed out on in this brief discussion but this should give a bit of an insight from the ‘other side’. If I’ve made it a bit basic and you know it all sorry to offend!

If you have further questions – email me. I have a small town planning business providing basic town planning services.

Enelson

oh Property Passion
have a read of my reply post to how far can i go
(I think)it make interest reading

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