Pre-application advice for planning permits

It is important that you speak to a planning officer or a town planning consultant before you submit your planning permit application.

Planning advice is tailored to the specific land and the proposed use or development. At a minimum, the planner needs the property address for your inquiry and a general outline of your intended project.

To find planning information regarding your property (i.e zone, overlays etc) you can search for a planning property report on the Department of Transport and Planning website.

Book a pre-application meeting

You can book free of charge, a pre-application meeting with one of our Planning Officers.

Our planners will be able to let you know if you are on the right track. They can also highlight if there are any issues with your application/designs and help with areas you may be unsure about.

They can also confirm relevant policies that you will need to consider when preparing your application.

Book a pre-application planning meeting

Please note there is a two week wait for appointment times.

Free planning enquiry (general advice)

Our Planning team provides general planning advice free of charge by phone, email or through a pre-application meeting.

This service is suitable if you:

want to know whether a planning permit may be required
have general questions about the planning process
need guidance on preparing a planning permit application
would like to discuss a proposal before lodging an application.

Planning advice provided through this service is informal and intended as general guidance only. It is not provided on Council letterhead and should not be relied upon as a formal planning determination.

Submit a planning enquiry

Formal written planning advice (fee applies)

If you require Council's planning advice in writing, you can request formal written planning advice for the applicable fee.

This service is appropriate if you need:

planning advice provided on Council letterhead
a written response for your records
written confirmation of the planning controls affecting a property
Council's written opinion on whether a planning permit is likely to be required for a specific proposal.

Your written advice will generally include:

relevant planning zones and overlays
applicable planning controls and provisions
an assessment of whether a planning permit is likely to be required
any other planning matters relevant to your proposal.

Please note that written planning advice is based on the information provided at the time of the request and does not constitute a planning permit or guarantee that a future planning permit application will be supported or approved.

Request formal written planning advice