Almost all developments (no matter the size of the project) will begin by obtaining development approval (DA) from Council. But how long can this take?
Well, how long is a piece of string? You’ll hear the horror stories of a DA taking 12 months to gain approval and almost never hear about the ones that only took a week. The timeframe of a DA can really depend upon the complexity of the application, what level of assessment it is(i.e. Code/Impact Assessable) and how many referral agencies it might have.In this article, I explore the standard timeframes associated with a normal development application in Queensland (timeframes will change between state/territory regions).
A Code Assessable development application can be expected to take 45 business days before Council issues a decision notice. This timeframe may be longer if Council makes an Information request (up to 3 months) and does not include the time for your town planner to prepare the lodgement documentation.
An Impact Assessable DA has a similar timeframe to a Code Assessable application but includes a 15 business day public notification period (with up to 10 business days in addition for Council to ‘assess’ any submissions). That is, up to 70 business days.
I have put the statutory timeframes in the below table for you to better understand the process (inclusive of a general 5-10 business day preparation time for your town planner). Please note that timeframes are subject to statutory requirements under the DA Rules, which Council, the Applicant and third parties must abide by. As such, it is very rare that a DA will take longer than the below timeframes:
| Stages | Description | Expected Timeframes |
| Preparation stage | Town Planning Application Preparation
This stage timeframe can vary significantly depending upon how much supporting documentation is required. E.g. if there are other consultants involved. |
5 – 10 Business Days |
| Lodgement Stage | Town Planning Application Completion & Lodgement to Council | 1 – 10 Business Days |
| Confirmation Period | Upon the application being ‘properly made’ (i.e. all Council fees are paid), Council has a 10 business day Confirmation Period. | 1 – 10 Business Days |
| Information Request Stage | Information Request Period (if an information request is issued, you have a 3 month period to respond) | 1 – 10 Business Days |
| Public Notification Stage | Public Notification period
(This Stage may start earlier depending on whether Council intend on making an information request or not) |
15 – 25
Business Days |
| Decision Stage | Decision Period
(If no information request is given, the decision stage begins the day after the Confirmation period finishes. This period is 0 – 35 business days) |
1 – 35 Business Days |
| Total Estimated Timeframe:
. |
9 – 55 Business Days (Code Assessable)
24-80 Business Days (Impact Assessable) |
|
As you can see, the DA process can take anywhere between 2 weeks and 4 months in accordance with the statutory timeframes. Once you have obtained your approval, under the Planning Act 2016, a Development Permit (Approval) issued is valid for a 6 year period.
Can it be faster than 9 business days ever? Yes. Most Local Government Areas (LGA) within Queensland will have a fast-tracked process most commonly referred to as ‘RiskSMART’. With this process, the majority of Councils will guarantee a 5-business day turnaround for 100% compliant applications. This is because the town planning consultant will prepare all of the approval package just to be ‘signed off’ by Council. Not everything can be assessed through the RiskSMART process but it is always a good idea to ask your consultant if it is a potential avenue for your DA.
Any feedback or questions, feel free to post a comment.
