21 Nov I Wish I Had Met a Town Planner Earlier
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 anything that needs a planning permit.
There are many different things that may need a planning permit. These include signs, new buildings, new uses in an existing building, extensions or alterations to a building, building units and removing trees, just to name a few. What does or doesn’t need a planning permit can differ between each Local Council.
Planning is a complex area as there are a lot of variables that are considered when making a decision on an application. Some of the variables that the Local Council will use to decide on your application include State Government Planning Policies, the Local Planning Policies , the purpose and objectives of any zones and overlays that affect the property, as well as other particular provisions such as car parking requirements and advertising signage controls. This can make it very confusing, particularly if this is your first time.
Having a planner on your side of the table in negotiations can help in a number of ways.
1. We can translate your needs into “planning speak” – this will help in negotiating with the Council.
2. We can explain any requirements or restrictions the Council wants to place on your development.
3. We can advise you of the possible outcomes and give you a realistic estimation of the likelihood of achieving your development goals.
4. We can speed up the process by getting the information the Council wants the first time and if any questions arise we can answer those quickly.