If you are about to buy a site, lease a shop or lodge plans with council, the first question is rarely who prepares the paperwork. It is which approval pathway fits this project, and what could go wrong with it. That is a town planner's job, and it is where we start every job at EHUP.
A town planner reads the planning controls that apply to your land, works out what you can build or operate there, and chooses the pathway that gets you an approval with the least delay. Then we prepare the reports council expects, such as the Statement of Environmental Effects, a Clause 4.6 variation request, or a Plan of Management, and deal with council questions until the approval is issued.
We are town planning consultants and environmental health consultants in one firm. A home business, a food premises fitout or a change of use often needs both a planning approval and a health approval, so we handle them together and the two cases never contradict each other.
A Complying Development Certificate (CDC) is a compliance check. If the project meets the Codes SEPP in full, it is usually issued in 2 to 3 weeks with no neighbour notification, but there is no room for variations. A Development Application (DA) is a merit assessment. It takes longer, typically 6 to 10 weeks, but it allows variations and sensible design arguments. A Section 4.55 modification changes an existing consent and is usually faster and cheaper than a new DA. A change of use covers a shop becoming a cafe, a warehouse becoming a gym, or an office becoming a clinic, and can go down either the CDC or DA path depending on the use and the building.
CDC packages start from $2,200 + GST, with certifier fees separate. Section 4.55 modifications start from $1,950 + GST. DA fees depend on the site and the reports required, so we quote after a short site check. The first consultation is free.
The same steps in more detail are on our process page.
We are based in Lakemba and work across Canterbury-Bankstown, the Inner West, Parramatta, Liverpool, Campbelltown and the rest of Greater Sydney, with regional NSW by arrangement. Most of our consulting is delivered online, so you do not need to visit an office. You can read more about EHUP and the team.
Council-specific pages, with real projects we have taken through each council: Canterbury-Bankstown, Campbelltown and Ryde.
If your project meets every standard in the Codes SEPP, a CDC is quicker and has no neighbour notification. If it needs even one variation, a DA is the correct route. We check this before you spend money on plans.
A CDC is usually 2 to 3 weeks once the documents are complete. A DA typically takes 6 to 10 weeks, and longer if council asks for more information.
Not always, but a short check often saves money. Many small projects fail because the wrong pathway was chosen at the start.
Yes. We review the refusal reasons and advise on a Section 8.2 review, an amended DA or an appeal, and we handle retrospective approvals.
Because home businesses, food premises and change of use applications are assessed against different rules by different parts of council. One firm means one point of contact and one timeline.
Our FAQ page covers fees, timing and the approval pathways in more detail.
Yes, across NSW. Local knowledge matters, so we check the council's controls before we quote.
Council requires a minimum of 700m² of land for a Torrens title subdivision of a dual occupancy in an R2 zone under Campbelltown City Council. The subject property comprises 655m², a shortfall of 45m². EHUP secured development approval despite this shortfall in land size.
Council issued a notice to cease use of the studio as a granny flat. The owner had purchased the property under the impression that the studio could be legally rented out. EHUP was engaged and secured DA approval despite a shortfall in the required land size for a granny flat under the Campbelltown Local Environmental Plan.
The residential dwelling had been used as an Islamic community centre, hosting congregational prayer, for more than 10 years. A number of unauthorised works had also been carried out to facilitate this use, and several prior applications had been rejected by Council. EHUP was engaged and successfully regularised the use of the community centre, together with all associated unauthorised structures.
A Development Application is the merit-assessed approval pathway.
A complying development certificate (CDC) is a fast-track approval for building work that meets every criterion in the Codes SEPP, issued by council or a private certifier with no merit assessment.
Once consent is granted, changes to the approved development are made by a Section 4.55 modification rather than a new application.
Almost every building project in NSW falls into one of three categories: exempt development (no approval needed), complying development (a fast-track CDC), or a full Development Application.
Most residential developments do not need a full Development Application.
Book a free planning consultation and we will tell you the right pathway before you spend anything.