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We work with a lot of professional firms (architects, draftspeople, building designers, surveyors and engineers etc who outsource their town planning work to us. We love these clients as they generate regular work for us and we give them a great rate for their statement of environmental effects. The fact is that designing and drafting plans is what they do best and often the statement of environmental effects is a last minute report that they throw together to try and have the application lodged. The SoEE often lacks substance and quite often doesn’t use the correct planning controls.
We were contacted by a small building designer who was very busy due to the boom in the industry. The designer had been doing their own statement of environmental effects for a few years but as a result in the huge surge in traffic they couldn’t keep up with the demand. Our client still wanted to provide a quick service for a great cost but still provide a quality report that will stand up against Council town planners.
A Sydney based architecture firm contacted us as they had taken on too much work and couldn’t keep up with the demand. They had a massive influx in clients and one of their biggest time consumers for their projects was the statement of environmental effects and the lodgement process with Council. They reached out to us to look at outsourcing their town planning to us.
We hadn’t worked with the firm before so we organised a phone conversation with them and discussed what they needed from us for their town planning needs. The client expressed that they had a lot of workplace stress around having to complete their own statement of environmental effects and lodging with Council as this took up a big chunk of their time and it wasn’t a part of the process that they enjoyed or were confident in doing.
We proposed to the firm to assist them with one job so that they could test how we worked and the quality of our reports. We gave them a great rate to allow them to trial us for their reports and they eagerly agreed.
The project was a statement of environmental effects for some minor alterations and additions to an existing dwelling. The project had some non compliances with the rear setback due to existing site constraints and the designer had minimised the impact on the rear neighbour.
We produced a statement of environmental effects for the project that included a justification to the rear setback breach based on the merit of the proposal and achieved a rear setback more than half of what was required under the Council DCP!
Our client was ecstatic with our result as they had tried and failed for the same development previously!
After the positive approval resulting from our amazing statement we contact the firm and said that we were happy to assist with future projects and asked to send through their most regular types of developments and we could provide a flat rate so that they could pass this on to their client when they were quoting. Kings Plans sent through a list of their most common projects and we provided a very competitive flat rate for those types of development because we appreciate regular work from trusted client.
When looking for business 2 business connections for town planning, dont look for the best price or the brightest website, look for the firm that gets you the result for the price your clients can afford! We match our prices to your business and your clients! We love our regular clients and treat them as royalty.
Maybe it is time you outsourced your statement of environmental effects to Town Planning Collective
Solar farms and battery storage (BESS) developments are rapidly expanding across rural NSW. This guide explains how these projects are approved, key planning constraints, and the role of a town planner in the process.
Lodged your DA and Council now wants a Heritage Impact Statement? If you’ve missed a heritage report in NSW, acting quickly is critical. We specialise in urgent, council-ready Heritage Impact Statements — often delivered within 48 hours. Here’s how to fix it fast and keep your project moving.
On average our statement of environmental effects and heritage impacts statements are delivered within two weeks of acceptance (or final plans). We pride ourselves on our fast delivery of expert technical reports for development applications. This fast turn around saves our clients time and money to get their DAs approved faster.
A Heritage Impact Statement (HIS) explains how proposed works may affect the heritage significance of a property or area. Learn when you need one and how to prepare an HIS that supports your development application in NSW.
We have been engaged for many development applications for change of use and other developments within the Queen Victoria Building. The site is a state heritage listed property that has a wonderful history. We have provided heritage impact statements for the fit out and change of use for stores within the building as any works within the historic building require development approval from Council.
Heritage impact statements can be expensive. We understand that this report can sometimes be the most expensive report for a development application. We go into detail of what goes into the report and how you can minimise your costs to obtain a HIS.
We have been engaged for many development applications for change of use and other developments within the Tramsheds complex at Forest Lodge. The site is a heritage listed property that has undergone substantial rejuvenation to turn a once dilapidated building into a thriving retail/food destination.
We recently worked on a project within “The Spot”, a heritage conservation area within Randwick Council. The project was for alterations and additions to an existing semi-detached dwelling. We give some information about the project and how we assisted our clients with their development application.
Property developers best friend is knowledge! Make an informed decision on your next property purchase by getting a pre-purchase feasibility report for as little as $400. Determine whether you can subdivide a site, building a duplex or a town house development before making an offer on the site.
Planning a renovation within a heritage conservation area? We talk about the requirements and what you can and can’t do without approval. Find out what is required with any development application and the process with heritage conservation areas and how to obtain approval with our help.
The statement of environmental effects is the most important report for a development application with Council. It is the cornerstone of any good development application and provides details of the development and an assessment of the compliance of the proposal against the relevant legislation and development controls (LEP and DCP). A good statement of environmental effects can make the difference between an approval or a refusal and can streamline the timeframe of the process.
Where a development doesn’t comply with the LEP development standard (such as minimum lot size, height of building and Floor Space Ratio) a variation to the development standard can be sought through the inclusion of a clause 4.6 report. We provide details regarding the report and where a variation might be appropriate.
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a crime prevention strategy that focuses on the planning, design and structure of cities and neighbourhoods. We discuss the principles of CPTED that are required to be assessed in any Crime Risk Reports for development applications.
Town Planning Collective is a professional town planning and heritage consulting practice providing expert advice and approval support for development applications across Sydney and New South Wales. We specialise in navigating local planning controls, heritage requirements, and council approval processes for residential and small-scale developments.
Sydney NSW
Greater Sydney
Regional New South Wales
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