Town planning questions, answered plainly

A town planner checks that the proposal is permissible, assesses it against the council's LEP and DCP and the relevant state policies, identifies anything that will not comply, and writes the Statement of Environmental Effects and supporting documents that go to council. They also advise on the fastest pathway (DA or CDC), coordinate the other consultants and respond to council during assessment.

Yes for almost every development application lodged with a council or the Planning Portal. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 requires a statement of environmental effects for local development that is not designated development. Complying development certificates issued by a certifier do not need one.

Fees depend on the development type, the council and whether variations need to be justified. URBA quotes a fixed fee once we have seen the plans and the site, so you know the cost before we start.

The statutory target for most local development is 40 days, but real timeframes vary from about six weeks to several months depending on the council, the completeness of the application and whether the DA is notified and receives objections. A complete SEE and a clean set of drawings are the biggest things an applicant controls.

It depends on the zone, the minimum lot size for dual occupancy in the LEP, the frontage, and constraints such as flooding, bushfire and easements. Since July 2024 dual occupancies are permissible in most R2 zones across NSW, but each council's lot size and DCP controls still apply. A site check answers this in a day.

A development application (DA) is a merit assessment by the council against its LEP and DCP. A complying development certificate (CDC) is issued by a private certifier or council where the proposal meets every pre-set standard in the Codes SEPP, with no merit assessment. CDC is faster but only available where the site and design fit the code exactly.

Sydney, Western Sydney, the Central Coast, the Hunter, the Illawarra and regional NSW. Most planning work is desktop based, so we work across the state with local survey and engineering partners where a site inspection is needed.

A pre-purchase planning report that tests what a site can support before you buy: zoning and permissibility, likely yield, constraints, servicing, the approval pathway and the planning risks. Each finding is tagged confirmed, indicative or unknown so you know what still needs checking.

Yes. URBA is the town planning division of Contrive Consultants Pty Ltd, which also provides civil and stormwater engineering. This means the planning and engineering inputs to a DA can be coordinated by one team when that suits the project.

Yes. We prepare for and attend pre-lodgement meetings, respond to requests for information and represent applicants at local planning panel meetings where a DA is referred.