Change of use for the fitness industry – recreational facilities (indoor)

You are on this page because you are wanting to start your own fitness studio, gym, pilates studio or something similar. Most likely you have already talked with Council and have determined that you require development approval to opperate the development on the site. Unfortunately the business cannot be done under a complying development certificate (CDC) or exempt development for change of use as the proposed use is only permissible through a development application (currently). We have helped a lot of clients in our time to obtain their development approval. This has become such a common enquiry that we have put together this blog post to assist our clients to gain approval for their fitness industry developments.

What you need to look at when picking a site for your development

This is the most common question we get from prospective clients….what to look for when picking a site. The first thing you need to do is determine whether the development is permissible within the zoning of the site. The first step is to head to the NSW Planning Portal at the following link and search for your site. You want to look at the zoning of the site. We have created a video to help.

@theplanningcollective Part 1 of using the nsw planning portal to work out if a site can be subdivided. #subdivision #propertydevelopment #developmentapplications #nsw #townplanning #fun ♬ original sound – The Planning Collective

For this type of development you need to look if recreation facility (indoor) is permissible. If you have any issues then please reach out and we can look for you! The next step is to assess the nearby development of the area. You need to determine the following: 1. Are there any nearby residential developments If there are nearby residential developments, the development application might require an acoustic impact assessment by an acoustic engineer. This is generally required when the development is located near residential areas and will potentially impact the occupants in regard to noise (or perceived noise). The cost of this type of report is generally around $2-3k. 2. What is the parking like for the area. These types of development often occur in areas with deficient car parking. Depending on the site and situation this type of development might require a traffic impact statement from a traffic engineer. The best way to tackle this is to lodge a development application and wait for Council to ask for the report through an additional information request. Please note a traffic impact statement costs approximately $2-3k.

What is required for a development application

What is required for a development applciation for a recreational faiclities (indoor) development: – Archiectural plans (site plan, floor plan, elevations and sections). Please note that all these plans are not always required depending on the locality of the development. – Statement of environmental effects – This is the document supplied for our service and outlines the compliance with the LEP and the DCP controls relating to the develppment. – Waste management plan – This is a document that provides details as to how the waste for the facility will be handled for the life of the development. This is a simple document that we can provide in house. We created a video that provides some details as to what is required with this type of development:

@theplanningcollective Town planning collective giving advice about change of use applications for gyms, personal training studios, yoga and pilates studios on getting DA approval #changeofuse #gym #pilates #yoga #personaltrainer #townplanning ♬ original sound – The Planning Collective

How to get help?

The Council approval system for these types of development can be complicated and we get a lot of enquiries to offer assistance for the development approval. If you need assistance please let us know as we provide a competitive rate for these types of development. If you are wanting assistance in obtaining your approval for a your recreation facility then please buy it now at the flat rate below.