In reading up on the history of land use planning in NSW, I came across an interesting article on the development of local government. This proved to be a subject worthy of discussion in its own right, but also an appropriate preamble to a future discussion of land use planning. (more…)
The QPR Blog
…local government stuff you never even thought to ask about…
Schedule of Conditions
When a Development Application (DA) is approved, the approval will be accompanied by a Schedule of Conditions. These conditions provide detail relating to how a particular development should be undertaken. For the most part, these conditions will simply be references to working conditions or standards that apply to the development in question. (more…)
Principal Certifying Authorities
You may recall that I have been doing a bit of building work of late. Well, actually, I’ve only just finalised all the necessary paperwork and appointed a Principal Certifying Authority (PCA). The process of appointing a PCA, in particular, has been quite educational. (more…)
Road Naming
Have you ever wondered how roads get their names? People will have noticed that there are roads that have been named in recognition of local features, historical or present, or in recognition of people who have been historically associated with the area being serviced by the road. But there are a few formalities that need to be addressed, if you’ll pardon the pun, before a name appears on a street sign.
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Home Building Regulations
Last month’s post on Owner Builder Permits referred to recent changes in home building regulations. These changes were directed at the home building industry in general, not just owner builders, but there were a couple of areas that might be worth a little further discussion. (more…)
Owner Builder Permits
I had occasion recently to apply for an Owner-Builder Permit. I’ve done building work myself before, but hadn’t previously required a Permit. This was due in part to the work being undertaken, but also recent (2015) changes in home building laws. (more…)
Bush Fire Prone Land
As we head into the summer months, I thought it might be worth looking at some of the specific conditions associated with development in areas prone to bush fire. (more…)
Land Title Covenants
In an earlier post I touched on the subject of covenants when discussing Rights of Carriageway. I thought it might be worthwhile digging a little further into this aspect of land titles. (more…)
NSW Planning Portal
A couple of years ago, I wrote about the Electronic Housing Code (EHC) and the role it played in enabling users to determine whether they needed planning permission to build or renovate, and also, when appropriate, to prepare, submit and lodge a complying development application. This system was superseded a few months ago by the new NSW Department of Planning & Environment Planning Portal. (more…)
Property Valuations
In the last couple of months, all Palerang residents should have received a Notice of Valuation from the NSW Valuer General, so I thought it might be worthwhile going over how these valuations are derived and how they are used by Council in determining council rates. (more…)