How to get a quick council approval for your renovation or new house

Getting council approval for your renovation can be a tedious process but paying thousands in council assessment fees just for them to make you jump through approval hoops, is worse.

So, I figure sharing some tips for plain sailing through the approval process, saving delays and money is anything but boring!

Here goes;

Get a local architect

Engage an architect who has a lot of experience in the local area. This is really important because planning laws can be complex and you need someone who has worked with them repeatedly and understands the players and the likelihood of getting your plans approved.

You do not want to be relying on trial and error. Which brings me to the next point.

Don’t expect miracles

Many projects qualify for a fast-track approval process (Complying Development Certificate) provided they comply with certain criteria. If you do need to go down the full Development Application path, be aware that the more you challenge the planning laws the more likely you are to have delays.

You need to weigh up the cost and the benefits of spending extra time pushing the envelope.

Book a pre-DA meeting

Most councils offer pre-DA meetings where you are able to have your plans reviewed by council’s planners.

If time is of the essence, it is a good idea to schedule one to have your renovation plans reviewed prior to submitting to improve the likelihood of them being passed by council.

Of course, there are never any guarantees and there is a fee payable but it may well be worth the time and effort.

Visit your neighbours

Before you submit your plans, it is wise to visit the neighbours and field any objections upfront.

While some might say that’s playing devil’s advocate, it is better to know of any issues than to wait six to eight weeks and then have to go back to the drawing board.

If you resolve the issues before you submit to council then you should have a much smoother ride.

Complete the documentation

When you finally submit to council, make sure your documentation is complete. If information is missing, the process may stall unnecessarily. Go through the documents with a planner when you are submitting and make sure you have met council requirements.

Engage a town planner

If you are planning to push the limits, then maybe you should consider engaging a town planner. Independent (town) planners differ from council planners as their focus is to work strategically to give your project the best chance of being approved. 

So, if your plan is likely to be contentious, it may be wise to invest some time and money on an independent planner to avoid getting the knock-back. As with the architect, make sure the person you engage has extensive local knowledge.

Whatever approach you decide to take, it is wise to take all available precautions to help the process because knock-backs are costly when you consider the cost to redesign and resubmit as well as your usual holding costs.

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This article via Which Investment Property does not constitute advice; readers should seek independent and personalised counsel from a trusted adviser that specialises in property, a tax accountant and property design specialist.