FAQs & Guides

Subdivision costs can vary depending on extent of civil works needed and Council requirements. The total cost of a basic subdivision (1 into 2 lots) in Brisbane is typically in the range of $75-120k:

1. Development Application: $8-15k
• Contour and detail survey
• Subdivision proposal plan
• Engineering reports/plans (if required)
• State Government referral (if required)
• Public notification (if required)
• Planning fees (reports and lodgement)
• Council application fees
2. Development Costs: $60-100k
• House demolition/site clearing
• Site pegging/Survey Plan
• Further engineering approvals (if required)
• Earthworks (if required)
• Stormwater infrastructure
• Sewer and water connections
• Electrical and telecommunications connections
• Streetscape works (e.g. footpath, street trees—if required)
• Remove/construct driveway crossovers
• Infrastructure charges
3. Plan Sealing and Titles: $8-10k
• Planning fees (compliance report and plan sealing application)
• Council application fees
• Title registration fees

The biggest cost variables for small-scale subdivisions are usually servicing and earthworks. That is, whether mains need to be extended, significant filling is necessary, or underground electricity is required.

In almost all cases, subdivision in Queensland requires development approval (DA) from Council.

For sites within a designated Priority Development Area (PDA), assessment may instead be undertaken by the State government.

Rooming accommodation is a defined land use under the Planning Regulation 2017. It involves a residential premises that may be rented to multiple separate parties on a room-by-room basis and which includes common facilities for occupants.

Importantly, bedrooms in rooming accommodation cannot be 'self-contained' (i.e. with a kitchen and bathroom) or they may be provided with 'limited facilities'. Each Council has its own interpretation of what constitutes 'limited facilities' as it is not defined in the Regulation.

Advice should always be sought from Council or a planner for guidance on complying with current policies. Failure to comply can result in enforcement action from Council.

Planning Regulation 2017, Schedule 24:

Public notification is a requirement for applications subject to impact assessment. Typically, impact assessment is triggered where proposed lot sizes or land uses are inconsistent with Council's assumptions for a zone or local plan area.

Requirements for public notification are prescribed in the Planning Act 2016 and include:

• Written notification (letters) to adjoining property owners
• Advertisement in a locally circulating or online newspaper
• Signage at each property frontage with details of the proposal

The above must be carried out during the public notification period which, for most applications, is 15 business days. This occurs after lodgement to Council as part of the development assessment process.

Anyone who makes a submission during the public notification period in the correct form (a 'properly made submission') may appeal Council's decision in the Planning and Environment Court.

Most Councils in Queensland provide easy-to-use and publicly accessible online resources for determining the planning parameters of a site such as lot details, zoning, overlays, and applicable local plans. Some also include useful imagery, surface contours, services, and measuring/annotation tools.

• Brisbane City Council
• Redland City Council
• City of Logan
• Moreton Bay Regional Council
• City of Gold Coast
• City of Ipswich

Assessment time for a development application depends on the type of application, level of assessment, and complexity. Council's workload also has an impact on processing time.

Code assessment
Most code assessable applications must be decided by Council within 45 business days of lodgement and payment of application fees. If an information request is issued by Council, assessment timeframes stop until a response is submitted—this can extend assessment timeframes.

Impact assessment
Impact assessable applications have an assessment period of 2-3 months. Complex applications routinely exceed this timeframe.

RiskSMART
RiskSMART or fast-track assessment is offered by some Councils and, for eligible applications, can reduce assessment timeframes to 2 weeks or less.

All new houses and most extensions require building approval from a private certifier.

Only in particular circumstances will a new house or extensions/alterations also trigger a development application (DA) to Council. Some common triggers include:

• Non-compliance with setbacks, building height or other siting requirements in the planning scheme
• Heritage/character overlays
• Ecological/environmental overlays

We frequently lodge development applications for houses and can easily check if what you are proposing will require a DA. Sometimes, minor alterations can be made to a proposal to avoid triggering assessment, saving time and money.

Some development applications require referral to a third party as part of the assessment process. The most common referrals are to the Queensland Government through the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA). Some triggers for State referral include:

• Proximity to a State-controlled road or intersection
• Proximity to a railway or busway corridor
• Development outside the 'Urban Footprint' in South-East Queensland
• Major development outside the Brisbane CBD
• Development affected by State environmental overlays
• Queensland Heritage Places

Common referrals to other entities include:

• Properties affected by easements for oil or gas pipelines
• Properties affected by electricity easements
• Proximity to an electrical substation

Application referrals can be identified using the Queensland Government's Development Assessment Mapping System (DAMS).

A referral agency response may include conditions of approval or, sometimes, no requirements. The State Government can direct Council to refuse an application if there are major issues that cannot be resolved, though this is very rare.

Referrals run concurrently with Council's assessment. However, if an information request is issued by a referral agency, overall assessment timeframes may be affected.

Most Councils offer a pre-lodgement meeting service, providing the opportunity for a confidential discussion with Council planners and specialists about a development proposal prior to preparing or lodging a development application (DA).

Pre-lodgement meetings are valuable in a number of scenarios:

Due diligence
Purchasing property for prospective development can involve some degree of risk, particularly if the site is subject to notable planning constraints or a proposal is non-compliant with assessment benchmarks or just generally 'out of the box'. In these instances, we often recommend a pre-lodgement meeting during a due diligence period.

Assessing feasibility
Pre-lodgement meetings can be useful for clarifying requirements such as earthworks, roadworks, and land dedication that can have a big impact on development cost or the end product. This can be critical for assessing the feasibility of a proposed development.

Reducing outlays
Development applications (DA) can be expensive. For high-risk proposals, it may be prudent to have a pre-lodgement meeting before investing thousands of dollars more in a DA that could be refused. The cost of a pre-lodgement meeting is usually significantly less than a DA.

Each Council offers different pre-lodgement services and meeting types; some charge a fee and others are free of charge.

If we are involved in the pre-lodgement meeting process, we will make sure all the necessary questions are asked and that the advice received from Council is easy to understand and process in the context of your development goals.