DavidMay 283 minChanges to what constitutes commencement of a development consentThe NSW government has made many changes to planning legislation in recent months under the title "COVID-19 response and recovery". A sum...
DavidApr 62 minDevelopment Applications - Changes of useUnder the NSW planning system, not only do new buildings generally require approval but the "use" of buildings and their fitout also gene...
DavidMar 62 minUnauthorised building workMost forms of development in NSW requires some form of consent - usually from the local Council, although increasingly in many instances ...
DavidFeb 72 minElectronic lodgement of Development ApplicationsAs I mentioned in my book, the lodgement of Development Applications in NSW has historically been a very paper-based process which has ge...
DavidJan 23 minState Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) 2019 ReviewThe NSW government announced the creation of a new State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) on 20 December which will come into effect ...
DavidDec 6, 20191 minBook released - Understanding Local Government and Town Planning in NSWA copy of my book, "Understanding Local Government and Town Planning in NSW" is now available. This book has been prepared as a practical...
DavidSep 19, 20192 minPubs and small bars - Development ApplicationsPubs and bars can often be controversial developments. This is particularly where they are proposed surrounding residential areas or wher...
DavidSep 10, 20192 minApprovals for water and sewer as part of developments in NSWIt is often asked how approvals for water and sewer are addressed in NSW and how this considered as part of the DA process. This blog pos...
DavidAug 21, 20193 minWhat is a Subdivision Certificate?In NSW, our Torrens/Strata Title system of land registration involves the State Government maintaining a centralised register of land hol...
DavidApr 27, 20195 minLocal government in NSW - powers of Mayors, Councillors and staffIn my last post, I looked at the powers of local government in NSW and described how they are generally quite limited compared to many ot...
DavidMar 16, 20193 minLocal government powers in NSW vs other jurisdictions Most readers of this blog would probably be aware that local government in NSW is the level of government in Australia with the least lev...
DavidFeb 26, 20191 minWaste management plan template (word)I find as part of almost all Development Applications that I lodge, Councils are asking for a waste management plan to be prepared. Many ...
DavidFeb 13, 20193 minBook review - Skin in the Game by Nassim TalebSkin in the game is a book published by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in 2018 which I managed to read over the holiday period. The central premis...
DavidJan 4, 20194 minPrivate building certification in NSW. What is it and how did it come about? What is the future?Happy new year to all readers of my blog! There have been a number of stories in the press over the Christmas period regarding a high ris...
DavidNov 16, 20183 minDesignated development under the NSW Planning systemDesignated development has been a feature of the NSW planning system since the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 came into e...
DavidNov 9, 20183 minConstructing a park and dedicating to Council - the processIn a previous post, I discussed the process of constructing a road and dedicating it to Council. There are many similarities between this...
DavidNov 2, 20182 minChild care centres - planning requirementsChild care centres are common types of development in NSW. This post describes how these developments are assessed under the planning sys...
DavidOct 26, 20183 minConstructing a road and dedicating to Council - the processThis post describes the typical process of constructing a new road and dedicating it to Council under the NSW planning system. Most new r...
DavidOct 18, 20182 minIs the NSW planning system becoming more simple to understand or more complicated?The NSW Planning system is constantly evolving. The Act that is central to the planning system (the Environmental Planning and Assessment...
DavidOct 12, 20182 minCar parking and developmentsHow many car parking spaces and what type of spaces to provide is a common question that comes up in designing a development. This blog p...