Using a town planner: getting a development application through council

What a town planner does

Town planners advise on what your land allows and prepare the planning documents councils require — most commonly the planning report (called a Statement of Environmental Effects or a similar name depending on your state) that accompanies a development application. They read the local planning scheme, assess your proposal against it, and make the case to council.

Fees scale with how contested the proposal is. A straightforward extension that complies with the planning scheme needs a modest report; a proposal seeking variations, dealing with heritage overlays, bushland, flooding or neighbour objections needs far more analysis, meetings and sometimes expert sub-consultants — traffic, acoustic, arborist or heritage reports that council mandates.

Two things sit outside the planner's fee. Council lodgement fees are always separate, and if a proposal draws objections or goes to a tribunal or appeal, that adds substantial time and cost beyond the original planning report.

How the cost works

Initial feasibility advice on what your block allows sits at the bottom of the range, a full planning report and application documents for a compliant proposal lands in the middle, and a contested or multi-dwelling application with variations, overlays and council negotiation reaches the top. The estimate on this page adjusts for complexity, so treat any figure as indicative — councils and proposals vary enormously.

Complexity is the whole story: a compliant proposal needs less analysis than one seeking variations, and each overlay — heritage, flood, bushfire, vegetation — adds assessment work. Ask for a fixed fee with a clear list of inclusions, confirm council lodgement fees are separate, and remember that sub-consultant reports are extra and often council-mandated, so a low headline fee can grow once those are added.

Choosing the right planner

Town planning isn't a licensed trade in the way plumbing is, but reputable planners are qualified and often members of a professional body such as the Planning Institute of Australia — worth asking about, along with their track record with your specific council, since requirements differ even between neighbouring councils.

Spend on early advice before buying or designing, because knowing the planning constraints first saves expensive redesign fees later. Ask your planner to arrange a pre-lodgement meeting with council where possible — it often heads off the expensive requests for information that stall an application — and get the scope and fee, including what's excluded, in writing before you start.

Mistakes to avoid

Planning regrets are usually about engaging too late or underestimating what a contested application costs.

• Designing or buying before getting planning advice, then paying to redesign
• Assuming council lodgement fees are inside the planner's quote
• Overlooking that mandated sub-consultant reports add real cost on top
• Not asking about the planner's track record with your specific council
• Underestimating the time and cost of objections or a tribunal appeal
• Skipping a pre-lodgement meeting that could prevent expensive requests for information