Prepare your DA

To prepare your development application, you will need to:

  • research and gather information about the property
  • get planning advice
  • prepare supporting plans, reports and documents.

Detailed information to help you prepare a development application is available from the NSW Planning Portal – see Your Guide to the Development Application Process.

Research and gather information

There are many codes, policies and guidelines that determine what you can do with your property. See Research a property and Planning guidelines and tools to work out what rules apply to your proposal.

Get planning advice

You may wish to contact Council planning staff for advice before you organise formal plans or start an application. See Get planning advice for more information.

If your development proposal is complex, it may be necessary to engage a planning consultant to provide you with detailed planning advice and prepare your development application for you.

Prepare supporting plans, reports and documents

Certain plans and documents must always accompany a development application. This is required by planning legislation.

To find out about the information you must include in your development application and the documents that must accompany it, see Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

It is your responsibility to provide all the required information with enough detail so that Council can make a decision about your development proposal. If you do not provide enough information with your development application, Council will reject your application.

More information

Lodge your DA

Using the NSW Planning Portal

Do I need consent from Council?

DA exhibition and notification

Assessment and approval process