Planning

If you’re building or considering a development project there’s a good chance you need approval for your project. Development is a broad term that covers the following activities:

• Building work — structural projects including a new home, extensions, alterations, garages, carports, sheds, fences, retaining walls, swimming pools, driveways and crossovers. These works generally require building approval (certification) from a private certifier.
• Material change of use — changing the way a property is used, re-establishing a use and intensifying the scale of an existing use on a property. This will require a development application.
• Operational work — activities that alter the shape or form of land including civil works, earthworks, vegetation clearing and roadworks. This will require a development application.
• Reconfiguring a lot — subdivision, amalgamation of lots, boundary realignments and access easements. This will require a development application.

The Planning Act 2016 establishes Queensland’s planning framework and we are responsible for these  planning processes:

• Plan making — preparing local planning instruments and strategic plans, including the Tablelands Region Planning Scheme that guides growth and regulates where and how new development should occur.
• Development assessment, including dispute resolution e.g. where an applicant appeals a decision on a development application.

Development assessment systems regulates how development may occur in our region, and follows a planning process set by the Queensland Government.

Our planning officers have an important role in this process by assessing and deciding development applications. Development applications can be proposals to:

• subdivide land (reconfiguring of a lot)
• commence, change or intensify a use (material change of use)
• conduct building work within an area with certain restrictions, such as in an identified flood zone (building work assessable against the planning scheme).

Development applications are assessed against the Tablelands Regional Council Planning Scheme. The Planning Scheme incorporates local, regional and state planning policy and aims to balance the social, economic and environmental needs of the community. The scheme identifies different zones, which have different types of activities and uses that can be conducted within them.

All development applications go through a standard assessment process. The Development Assessment Rules (DA Rules) set out this development assessment process, which includes these key parts:

• application
• referral
• information request
• public notification
• decision.

The process will vary depending on the kind of development application. Not all steps in the development assessment process will apply to all development applications e.g. not every application includes public notification.

Some development applications also require assessment by the Queensland Government. These applications are referred to the State Assessment and Referral Agency as part of the assessment process.

An applicant may also apply to change an existing development approval or extend the timeframe of a development approval prior to the development approval lapsing.

The planning scheme generally sets out which types of development require a development application. You will need to know your zone and the type of development you are proposing to determine whether a development application is required. Only development categorised as assessable development, either impact assessment or code assessment, will require a development application.

No development application will be required if the development is identified as accepted development. A development application cannot be made if the proposed development is identified as prohibited development. We offer pre-lodgement and accepted development review services to confirm development application requirements.