Development Applications

Preparing a development application

The documents needed for a Development Application will vary dependent on the proposed Development. As a guide, the minimum following documents will be required:

• Completed Application for Development Approval form signed by the owner of the land on which the development is located
• Copy of Certificate of Title
• Payment of required application fee (view Planning Schedule of Fees and Charges)
• Cover letter/report outlining the proposal
• Location Plan and/or Site Plan
• Scaled floor plans, elevations, sections of the proposed works.

Development application process

The statutory timeframe for development applications to be determined is 90 days for an application that is advertised to the public and 60 days for everything else.

Once an application has been submitted to the Shire and accepted it will be allocated to a Planning Officer to assess. An acknowledgment letter will be sent to you to confirm the Application number and name of the assessing Officer.

The application will be taken to an internal Development Control Unit meeting for discussion by all of the technical departments including Building, Environmental Health and Engineering Services.

The assessing Officer will contact the applicant if additional information is required. If necessary, the Officer will also refer the proposal to any relevant external agencies and public advertising may start if required.

If advertised, the required timeframe is not less than 14 days and involves letters of notification being mailed to owners/occupiers of properties considered most likely to be affected, and potentially an advertisement in a local newspaper

On the completion of the above process the assessing Officer will establish if the proposal can be dealt with under delegated authority, if it can, a decision notice will be issued.

If the application needs to go to Council

If an application cannot be determined under delegated authority, the Officer will refer a recommendation to Council for a decision.

Council meets on a monthly basis, which may impact on the length of the application processing time.

If the application is not supported

In the event that an application is not supported, the Shire will contact the applicant to advise of the issues and reasons the proposal cannot be supported and the applicant will have the opportunity to amend the proposal to address the concerns if possible.

If the concerns cannot not be addressed the application will be refused. If the refusal is issued, the applicant has a right to an appeal through the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Development approval considerations

Once an approval has been granted, it is important to review all the conditions of the Development Approval. Conditions of approval may include requirements to amend the approved plans, prepare and submit management plans, operational requirements/ restrictions etc.

Prior to starting construction/operation associated with your Development Approval, other approvals may be required. These may include:

• Building Permit
• Occupancy Permit
• Food Business Approval
• Effluent Disposal Permit.

Refer to related pages below for more information.

More information and contacts

For more information please contact us.

Related pages

• Food business safety and approvals
• Building applications and forms
• Wastewater