Step by Step Guide to Lodgement

Step by step guide to lodgment of development applications in Queensland under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009

Step 1

Find the zoning of your property and check how your proposal suits the intent for your area.

Step 2

Look at your local council's planning scheme and check the assessment tables for your zone. In the assessment tables, determine if use is Exempt Development, Self Assessable, Compliance Assessable, Code or Impact assessable and if any policies affect your site.

Step 3

Contact a professional consultant (town planner, architect, surveyor) to assist you in preparing preliminary designs and advise on your development application.

Step 4

Ask your town planner if your development application is Risksmart ready. Risksmart means that your development application can be approved in 5 business days instead of the normal 3 - 6 months for a code assessable development application.

Step 5

If your consultant determines that the application could be complicated, a prelodgment meeting with the council is highly recommended. Prelodgment meetings can cost from $200 to $1000 per meeting in some councils. In the prelodgment meeting the council will discuss your application and raise any concerns.

Step 6

Seek assistance of a town planner to prepare your development application to the council. A large number of councils penalise substandard development applications with higher fees. These councils also may offer discounts for quality development applications.

Step 7

Check council application fees and ensure that all IDAS forms are filled correctly.

Step 8

Submit the development application to the Council.

Make sure that you check how many copies of the development application the council may require.