Can’t I just put up a fence and split my property title? As a development consultant and town planner, this is surprisingly a question I get quite a lot. I hear that a 1 into 2 subdivision usually costs around $60-70k in total but most experienced developers will budget at least $100k to be safe. But where is all that money spent?
Using a ‘1 into 2’ subdivision as an example (i.e. a ‘splitter’), I have listed some indicative costs associated with a taking the project from concept through to titling below. I will note that the below approximate costs do not include the cost of acquiring the property, mortgage/interest, holding costs, real estate fees…etc.
| Stage #1: Town Planning Approval | |
| PropertEASE report | $47 |
| Town planning Professional fee | $3850 |
| Town planning Council fee | $3300 |
| Subdivision proposal plan | $1650 |
| Concept infrastructure/services plan | $1650 |
| TOTAL: | $10,497 (incl. GST) |
| Stage #2: Construction Design | |
| Project management | $6000 |
| Operational works plans (engineering) | $4000 |
| Construction of Infrastructure | $5000-20,000 |
| Infrastructure charges: | $28,500 |
| TOTAL: | $43,500-58,500 (incl. GST) |
| Stage #3: Plan Sealing | |
| Surveying (identifying new lots) | $3500 |
| Plan Sealing | $950 |
| Government and Council fees: | $3500 |
| TOTAL: | $7950 (incl. GST) |
| TOTAL COSTS: | |
| Stage #1: Town planning approval | $10,497 |
| Stage #2: Design and Construction | $43,500-58,500 |
| Stage #3: Plan Sealing | $7950 |
| TOTAL: | $61,947-76,947 (incl. GST) |
The success of a development can really be determined by the project team that you establish from the start. So who are the key people that need to be involved from the beginning? The key members of the team should follow:
• Private consultant town planner
• General engineering firm (e.g. civil and hydraulic engineers);
• Surveyor.
With the above combination, you should be looked after with most aspects of the development but some additional professionals may be required dependant upon the specific circumstances of your lot. For example, an ecologist, traffic engineer, arborist, noise consultant…etc. Nevertheless, once you’re ready to progress with a development, the first point of call should be a local town planner who should have some reliable contacts for you.
