You may need a planning permit if you intend to:
- use land or buildings for a purpose different from their current allocated use under the local Council planning scheme (e.g. commercial, residential, industrial, agricultural, etc.)
- add additional uses or buildings to the currents ones
- intensify an existing non-conforming use or discretionary use
- develop land.
Developing land includes the following types of activities:
- construction or carrying out of works (e.g. earthworks, structures, parking areas, alterations to buildings, new buildings)
- demolition or removal of a building or works
- subdivision or consolidation of land
- placing or relocating a building or works
- constructing or erecting signs, hoardings or fences.
The planning permit process regulates the use and development of land by assessing proposals against local Council planning schemes and State government planning legislation. The process focuses particularly on the impact of the proposal on the site and surrounding land.
Depending on the exact nature of your proposed activities and the controls applicable to the land, there are a range of documents that may be requested such as bushfire reports, landscape plans, agricultural reports, flood assessments, environmental site assessments, emissions report, heritage assessments, and traffic impact assessment.
If the planning application is contingent on an amendment of a local planning scheme (LPS), your application must request the planning authority to consider your requirement to amend the LPS and the application for a planning permit at the same time.
Once a planning permit is issued, further approvals may be required. Some of these approvals must be received from the appropriate Agency, while others are provided to you by a qualified Building Surveyor to be submitted to the appropriate Agency. The following approvals are listed in the order that they may be required:
- before you can start any building or development work you may need to submit any, or all, of the following approvals: a Planning Permit, a Certificate of Likely Compliance, a Plumbing Permit, a Special Plumbing Permit and a Building Permit
- if you intend to supervise the building work being undertaken on your property, you will require an Owner Builder Registration
- if you have partially or substantially undertaken building work without having received the required authorisation, then you can gain retroactive compliance through a Certificate / Permit to Proceed or a Certificate / Permit of Substantial Compliance
- if you intend to install a fuel burning appliance (e.g. wood heater) you will require a Heating Appliance Installation Notification
- before you can occupy a building or structure you will require an Occupancy Permit or a Temporary Occupancy Permit
- the final steps in the building and development process is ensuring that you have gained your Certificate of Final Completion, your Certificate of Completion - Plumbing Work and your Certificate of Completion - Building Work
- if you intend to use your premises for commercial purposes (i.e. for any purpose other than as a residence only) you are required to provide an Annual Maintenance Statement.
