I’ve written on several occasions about matters relating to building approvals and certifying authorities. With the commencement of the new Building and Development Certifiers Act 2018 (Certifiers Act) and the corresponding Building and Development Certifiers Regulation 2020 (Certifiers Regulation) on 1 July 2020, I thought the subject warranted a brief review. (more…)
The QPR Blog
…local government stuff you never even thought to ask about…
Land Ownership
Recent discussion in relation to a mining exploration licence that had been granted in our area prompted a couple of questions relating to property ‘rights’ and land ownership more generally. This is a subject that is perhaps a little beyond the purview of local government but I thought it might be of interest nonetheless. (more…)
Property Access
Perhaps not surprisingly, things on the Council front have been pretty quiet of late, but one of the most common ‘problems’ that I encounter arose yet again just the other day. I think I’ve mentioned previously that a former local councillor and Mayor once said to me that when he writes his account of his civic life, it will be entitled “Barking Dogs and Rights of Way”. I reckon I’ll write a follow-on work entitled “Rights of Way Too”. The most recent issue wasn’t specifically a Right of Way matter—it related primarily to the location of a driveway—but it ended up that way. (more…)
SEPPs
I have referred to the State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs) on various occasions in the past, but perhaps never dealt with the subject directly. With the new comprehensive Queanbeyan Palerang Local Environmental Plan (QPLEP) on the verge of completion I thought some further discussion might be of interest. (more…)
Dual Occupancy Developments and
Secondary Dwellings
Long-time followers of my ramblings may recognise this subject from years gone by. Interestingly, it last came up in the context of the development of the Palerang LEP and so it is that it comes to the fore again as the new consolidated Queanbeyan-Palerang LEP is being finalised. (more…)
Local Government Elections
My how time flies when you’re having fun! Yep, 12 September 2020 will be here before you know it and this time around there may be something more to consider. By the time you read this, Council will have resolved whether or not to hold a referendum in conjunction with the upcoming Council elections. (more…)
Flood Planning
This may seem a somewhat irrelevant subject for those of us living in the hills around the ACT, where there’s a far greater risk of bushfire than flood, but it’s been a relatively quiet month on the Council front and little else worthy of discussion has surfaced, if you’ll pardon the pun. Flood planning also involves a raft (there we go again) of acronyms that might benefit from some explanation. (more…)
Signage
Coincidently, I’ve had two calls recently from people who have ‘bumped up against’ council’s signage regulations. The two situations were quite different, but the problematic regulation was effectively the same. (more…)
Building Uses
Following in the general vein of my previous couple of posts, from time to time I am presented with situations that arise through misunderstandings in relation to what uses a structure may be put. I touched on this subject some years back when discussing ‘Change of Use’, and it relates to the whole issue of permissible and ancillary land uses. (more…)
Ancillary Land Uses
I made a sideways reference to this subject in the previous post. While discussion on the subject can become confusing, the fact is that often it is not so much the nature of a particular land use but the relationship of that land use to other uses practiced on the same land that determines whether or not it might be an ancillary use. (more…)