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Approvals
Building & planning permit applications, handled
Lodged properly, chased weekly, and tracked through to issue — whether we are managing your whole project or just this part of it.
Building permits
Building permit applications
A building permit application is only as good as the documentation behind it. We assemble the whole set, lodge it with your building surveyor, and manage every request that comes back.
- Documentation assembledDrawings, engineering, energy rating, soil report, survey and site information collected and checked against each other.
- Building surveyor appointedWe engage a registered building surveyor on your behalf and act as the single point of contact.
- Lodgement and feesApplication prepared, lodged and permit levies and lodgement fees managed.
- RFIs answered quicklyRequests for further information go straight to the consultant who can answer them, not into your inbox.
- Protection work noticesWhere adjoining property protection is required, we manage the notices and supporting reports.
SEQUENCE
How a building permit comes together
Site information gathered
Survey, soil test, legal point of discharge, sewer details.
Design documented
Working drawings finalised against the site information.
Consultant reports
Engineering and energy rating produced from the final drawings.
Lodgement
Complete application submitted to the building surveyor.
Permit issued
RFIs cleared, levies paid, permit in your hand.
When a planning permit is usually required
- Two or more dwellings on a single lot
- Land affected by an overlay — heritage, vegetation, flooding, bushfire, design and development
- Subdivision of land
- Development in certain zones or below minimum lot sizes
- Works to a building covered by a heritage control
- Removal of protected vegetation
Controls are specific to your address. We check the title and the planning scheme before quoting.
Planning permits
Planning permit applications
Council planning is the stage that most often stalls a project — and the stage where a weak submission costs the most time.
- Pre-application reviewWe read the planning scheme controls on your land before anything is drawn, so the design responds to them from the start.
- Submission preparedApplication forms, title documents, plans and the written planning response assembled as one coherent package.
- Council liaisonWe deal with the planning officer directly and keep the file moving.
- Further information requestsAnswered promptly and completely — partial answers restart the clock.
- Objections and amendmentsWhere objections are received we advise on amendment or mediation, and can refer you to a planning lawyer if a VCAT review becomes necessary.
Pre-construction documentation
The reports your permit depends on
We order these in the right sequence and manage the consultants who produce them. Which ones your project needs depends on the site, the design and the council.
| Report | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Feature & level survey | An accurate survey of the land, levels and existing features. Almost every other consultant works from it. |
| Soil test / geotechnical report | Classifies the site so the engineer can design the correct footing system. |
| Legal point of discharge | Council confirmation of where stormwater may legally be discharged. |
| Sewer depth & offset | Water authority information on the sewer main — drives footing design and build-over approvals. |
| Structural engineering | Footing and structural design to suit the soil classification and the plans. |
| Energy rating report | NatHERS assessment demonstrating compliance before a building permit can issue. |
| Bushfire assessment (BAL) | Required where the site is in a designated bushfire-prone area. |
| Dilapidation report | Records the existing condition of neighbouring properties before works begin. |
| Adjoining property locating | Identifies neighbouring structures and boundaries relevant to protection work notices. |
| Compaction report | Confirms fill has been compacted to the standard the engineer requires. |
Permit questions
What owners usually ask
Do I need a planning permit, a building permit, or both?
Almost every new dwelling, unit development or significant extension needs a building permit. A planning permit is additionally required when a council planning control applies to your land — a zone, an overlay, a heritage control, or because you are building more than one dwelling on a lot.
Where both are needed, the planning permit must generally be obtained first, because the building permit documentation has to match it. We check the controls on your specific address at the start so you are not surprised halfway through.
Can you lodge a permit if I am managing the build myself?
Yes, and plenty of our clients do exactly that. Permit handling is available as a standalone service — we prepare and lodge the application, coordinate the reports and chase it to issue, and hand you the permit. What you do after that is up to you.
What usually delays a permit?
In our experience, three things. A missing report nobody ordered. Drawings that do not match the reports. And slow responses to a council or surveyor request for further information.
All three are avoidable with sequencing and someone whose job it is to watch the file. That is the service.
Who actually issues the permit?
A building permit is issued by a registered building surveyor — either a private surveyor or the council. A planning permit is issued by the responsible authority, usually your local council. We do not issue permits; we prepare, lodge and manage the application on your behalf and coordinate the practitioners who do.
Need a permit lodged?
Send us the address and what you want to build. We will tell you which permits apply and what it will take to get them.