The DA Process

Development Applications
The Process
 
1 Pre lodgement meeting An important step where your proposed development can be reviewed by either a building surveyor or a town planner and other Council staff and valuable input can be incorporated into plans prior to submitting them to Council.
2 Lodgement All applications must be lodged via the NSW Planning Portal which can be foundhere. Inclusion of all required documentation at the time of lodgement will ensure timely processing of your development application. Quotations for development application fees can be obtained from Council’s Administration Centre.
3 Nambucca Valley Council Administration Your development application is now checked to see if all required information and documents are included. If not, you will received an email from the Planning Portal outlining what additional information needs to be uploaded via the Portal. Once all information is there, your application will be lodged and tracked within Nambucca Valley Council’s information management system and the Planning Portal as well. This also provides data for compulsory reporting to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
4 Internal referrals

Your development application will be referred to all necessary staff within Council. This may include:
1. Inspectors
2. Management
3. Surveyors
4. Planning
5 Public Notification Your development may require public notification. If this is necessary, adjoining property owners will be notified of the proposed development. Additionally, advertising in the local print media may be required.
6 External Referrals Your development may need to be referred to external parties such as:

1.Planning Industry & Environment
2. Rural Fire Service
 3. for NSW
4.Aboriginal Land Council

These referrals may require an additional application fee and may take as much as forty (40) days to process by the external parties.
7 Site inspection The site will be inspected by officers involved in the assessment.
8 Initial Assessment by Town Planning or Building Surveying Staff This initial assessment addresses all the required matters for consideration that need to be covered. The three main documents that affect Nambucca Valley Council’s assessment process are:


Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979 ,
13031 Nambucca Local Environmental Plan 2010 , and
 13031 Nambucca Development Control Plan 2010.


All developments involving construction or demolition must also comply with the Building Code of Australia.
9 Compilation of all internal referrals The Town Planner or Building Surveyor processing your development application compiles and reviews all Council advice from internal referrals.
10  Consideration of public submissions Any submissions received following the period of Public Notification are considered at this stage of the assessment process.

 

Development Applications
The Process

 

11  Compilation of all external referrals The Town Planner or Building Surveyor processing your development application compiles and reviews all advice from external referrals.
12 Further Information Required & Consultation As a result of the initial assessment, review of the internal and external referrals and consideration of public submissions it may be necessary for further information to be sought from the applicant of the proposed development, or to have further consultation with the applicant or persons making submissions. All further information must be lodged via the NSW Planning Portal.
13 Final report The final report and recommendation of the development application can now be prepared along with draft conditions for approval.
14 Draft approval If the recommendation is for approval then the conditions attached to the Consent are now finalised.
15 Decision The application is either approved or refused by a Council officer under the delegation of Council or goes to a Council meeting where the Councillors approve or refuse it. If the application goes to a Council meeting, the applicant and anyone who makes a submission about the application are contacted prior to the meeting and given the opportunity to attend. It may be possible to address the meeting about the proposal.
16 Final documentation The approval/refusal and electronic signature of your final development consent is completed.
17 Administration procedures Following approval of a development application all the plans and specifications submitted with the application are electronically stamped and documented as part of the approval procedure. The result is also recorded in Nambucca Valley Council’s information system.
18 Distribution of approvals/refusals Final determinations and stamped documents are forwarded to applicants via the NSW Planning Portal.
19 Construction Certificate Prior to any construction commencing, you will need to obtain a Construction Certificate.If you are planning to use Council as your Principal Certifying Authority, all your Construction Certificate information can be lodged with your Development Application. This may mean that your Construction Certificate could be issued at the same time as your Development Consent. All Construction Certificates must be lodged on the NSW Planning Portal.

If you are using a Private Certifying Authority, they will need to receive a copy of your development consent prior to being able to issue a Construction Certificate.
20 Occupation Certificate When all construction is finished, either Council or your Private Certifying Authority will carry out a final inspection. If they agree that all works are complete, an Occupation Certificate will be issued and the development can be used. You are not permitted to use or occupy a development until an Occupation Certificate is issued. Your Occupation Certificate, which includes a request for a final inspection, must be lodged on the NSW Planning Portal.

 

Back to top