By General

Prelodgement meeting with Council

If you're looking at a development site, or want to confirm that your can build your dream home, one way to confirm the planning issues will be to book in a prelodgement meeting with Council. A pre-lodgement meeting is a service that all decision-makers (eg. Council) will provide, to allow the applicant to have a preliminary meeting, to discuss potential issues regarding a prospective development application.

By seeking feedback in the early stages of planning and design, you can ensure your development application will adequately address the assessment benchmarks. This will help reduce complications and potential delays throughout the process.

Pre-lodgement meetings are especially important when proposing a development that may not necessarily comply but is still a reasonable proposal. For example, if the minimum lot size is 400sqm and you're proposing 390sqm, gaining pre-lodgement advice will give you a better idea whether to spend more money on the full lodgement.

Pre-lodgement meetings aim to:

  • confirm relevant development requirements (planning scheme, policy requirements)
  • identify information requirements (such as additional technical studies that may be required)
  • identify the level of assessment and any approvals required;
  • identify design issues that will need to be addressed as part of a development application
  • explore possible solutions to those design issues
  • provide information about the assessment process, including timeframes and what to expect
  • expedite the assessment process
  • provide accurate, reliable and consistent advice

    • The meetings are not intended to:

  • provide a detailed assessment of the development proposal
  • determine the likely outcome of an assessment process

    • It's important to note that pre-lodgement meetings do not replace an in-depth investigation associated with formally assessing an application and considering any public submissions.

    While the advice is usually given in good faith, it in no way binds the council to that advice.

    So, next time you're unsure of a planning issue, and you can't get a solid answer from a private consultant, it might be worth asking for a prelodgement meeting. Our team is always happy to help if you have any queries – contact@stpmail.com.au / https://www.steffantp.com.au/