In Queensland, some councils no longer have control of water and sewerage utilities with a number of Distributor-Retailer Authorities being established as statutory bodies and service providers about a decade ago. Examples of these entities are Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) and Unitywater (UW). Because these providers are not part of a council they are not… Continue reading What is a water approval and do you need one?
Brisbane City Council adopted changes into the City Plan last month in a bid to streamline planning approvals for aged care and retirement accommodation. These changes formalise many incentives and changes that were first introduced by council in 2016 to encourage more of this accommodation type. An ageing population means there is going to be… Continue reading BCC changes to aged care and retirement accommodation a positive step
Whilst many people probably aren’t sure what a crossover is, everyone has one on their property. A crossover is the part of your driveway that crosses from your property boundary to a council or State controlled road. If you want to construct or alter a driveway crossover you may be required to notify or apply… Continue reading What you need to know about Crossovers
Before you lodge a Development Application with council you can request a prelodgement meeting, at your cost, to go through your plans or development concept. Some councils still offer a free service whilst for others this can come at some expense. So is it worth your time and money? Most councils offer this service to… Continue reading The pros & cons of Prelodgement
Brisbane has experienced many floods since European settlement, with events in 1841, 1890, 1893, 1931, 1974, and most recently 2011. Floods are the most expensive natural disaster type in our country and it is reported the 2011 Brisbane event cost the country’s economy about $30 billion. You can check your property’s flood risk with Brisbane… Continue reading Coastal hazard overlay and Brisbane development
The new overlay is part of putting into action the themes contained in council’s recently published “Brisbane Future Blueprint”. The blueprint includes eight principles and forty actions that were created following feedback from 10,000 residents across every suburb of Brisbane. This Community Purposes Network Overlay code has been introduced to “provide for the assessment of… Continue reading What is the new BCC Community Purposes Network Overlay?
You may have come across these four little words in your search for the perfect property: Subject to Council Approval (STCA). Usually these words come directly after claims about future development opportunities on real estate marketing signage or flyers. The reason you see it in real estate marketing is because the potential to develop a… Continue reading Know what STCA means for your Property’s Potential
Infrastructure charges are fees that councils and water utility providers (distributor-retailers) collect as part of the development assessment process. The easiest way to explain these charges are that a developer is offsetting its additional demands on public infrastructure against the cost to the public of expanding or replacing infrastructure once it reaches capacity. These charges… Continue reading What are infrastructure charges and when do they apply?
In Queensland Development Applications (DAs) are primarily guided by the Planning Act 2016 (the Act), the Planning Regulation 2017 (the Reg) and the Development Assessment Rules (the Rules). The Act defines what development is, the types of development, and the various application options. The local council then creates a planning scheme for the region that… Continue reading Development types under the new Planning Act
Many people are not sure when or even if they require development approval for a project they are considering. Under the Planning Act 2016 in Queensland, a development application (DA for short) may be required when you want to develop. You need a DA when you are looking to do any of the following: Building… Continue reading Development approval – do you need it?
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