Plan of Management
A Plan of Management is a legally binding operational document council attaches as a condition of consent, setting out how you will manage what a DA assessment cannot fully control on paper - noise, security, crowd behaviour, cleaning and responsible-service staff training. Councils require one most often for licensed venues, late-night trading premises, and venues expecting significant patron numbers. A generic, boilerplate plan is a common reason councils send DAs back for more information, so we write it for your specific site and operating model.
Free consultation
- 1–2 weeks
- Quoted per project - typically from $900 + GST
- Quoted fixed after a free scope check
Why councils can tell a copied plan
Assessors who review Plans of Management regularly can tell within a few paragraphs whether it was written for the actual venue or adapted from someone else's document. A plan that references the real floor layout, actual patron capacity and specific neighbouring uses reads as considered, not boilerplate - and is far less likely to come back with a request for more information.
Source: Relevant council Development Control Plans; Liquor Act 2007 (NSW) for licensed-venue overlap.
How it works
Operating model review
2–3 days
Understand the venue's actual patron numbers, trading hours and operational risks.
Plan preparation
1 week
Noise, security, crowd management, cleaning and staff training measures documented.
Alignment check
2–3 days
Plan cross-checked against DA operating hours and any liquor licensing conditions.
What we take off your hands
What EHUP handles
- Preparing a Plan of Management specific to your venue's operating model, not a generic template
- Addressing noise, security, crowd behaviour, cleaning and waste in the level of detail council expects
- Aligning the plan with any liquor licensing conditions running in parallel
- Coordinating with an acoustic report where operating hours and noise are linked
What you don't have to deal with
- A generic Plan of Management that reads as boilerplate and gets sent back for revision
- A plan that is inconsistent with the operating hours proposed elsewhere in the DA
Frequently asked questions
Which venues need a Plan of Management?
Licensed venues, late-night trading premises, and venues expecting significant patron numbers most commonly. Councils use it to manage what a static DA assessment cannot fully anticipate once the venue is actually operating.
Is this the same as a liquor licence condition?
Related but separate systems - a Plan of Management is a condition of your development consent; liquor licensing conditions are set independently by Liquor & Gaming NSW. The two do not always align automatically, so both need attention rather than assuming one covers the other.
What happens if I do not follow my own Plan of Management?
Failing to comply with your own Plan of Management is an enforceable breach of your development consent, separate from any liquor licensing consequences that might also apply.
Related services
Pub and Small Bar
A pub or small bar needs two separate approvals that operators sometimes treat as one: development consent from council, which assesses noise, hours of operation and amenity impacts on neighbours, and a liquor licence from the relevant NSW liquor licensing authority.
Specialist Reports
Most applications of any size need reports from specialists outside town planning.
Development Application (DA)
A Development Application is the merit-assessed approval pathway.
Why clients choose EHUP
- 10+
- 250+
- 14
- 1
Not sure which approval you need?
Tell us the address and what you want to do. We'll help identify the appropriate planning pathway, whether it is exempt development, complying development or a full DA. Your first conversation is free.