How Long Does It Take to Get a DA Approved in NSW?
In New South Wales, Councils technically have 40 days to decide an ordinary development application, 60 days for designated or integrated development, and 90 days for State significant development. Victoria’s equivalent is 60 statutory days. Queensland runs on a 35 business day decision period. Very few commercial applications are decided inside those periods, because the […]
Do You Need a Town Planner, or Can You Lodge the DA Yourself?
You can lodge a development application yourself. In New South Wales anyone can submit a DA (Development Application) through the NSW Planning Portal, and for straightforward work that meets the controls, doing it yourself may be a reasonable decision from a cost perspective. It, however, stops being reasonable the moment the project needs a variation, […]
What Is a Class 9b Approval, and Why Do Gyms and Studios Need One?
Class 9b is the National Construction Code classification for assembly buildings, meaning buildings where people gather. Gyms, studios and sporting facilities fall into it because people assemble there for recreational and sporting purposes, not because of their size. The classification is decided by a Registered Certifier, not by Council’s planners, and it brings stricter requirements […]