Author: melanie.ellis@changeofplan.com.au

A question I hear often is "What is town planning?" The way that I explain it is that town planning is where the Local Council looks at what you want to do and decides if it is the right use or development for the area. Town planning...

Sometimes people come to us in a panic. They didn't realise that their project required a town planning permit until they were a fair way into their new venture. Suddenly Council contacted them or even initiated enforcement action. By this time, they...

Many people think they only need a Town Planner for difficult or controversial applications, but there are many benefits to using a Town Planner, like Change of Plan, for all your projects. Starting a new town planning project can be daunting, but we are here...

It seems that almost every time I tell people what I do for a living someone says that they wish they had heard of me/met me/knew about me before.  I’m a Town Planner and I help people get planning permission from the Local Council for...

Don't be caught out by a covenant over your land title.  A planning permit can't be approved if it is contrary to a restrictive covenant on the title.  If there is a covenant it will need to varied or removed before the proposal can be...

Did you know that before you can get a liquor licence for your new bar or restaurant, first you will need a planning permit? This includes if you want to extend the hours or patrons on an existing liquor licence as well. Many Councils have local...

We know our clients sometimes feel like planners have invented another language!  To help you out we have written some definitions of some of the planning terms that you might encounter during your planning application process. NOD This stands for Notice of Decision.  It is formal notice...

The basis for existing use rights came about from common law. It is based on the principle that it would be unfair for the planning scheme to change and make someone’s use or livelihood suddenly be unlawful. Once an existing use right is...

The short answer is yes, you can apply for an extension of time to your planning permit. Every Council has a process for you to apply to extend your time on a planning permit, either to extend the time to commence or the time...