Development Advice Services

We provide a range of development advice services to help answer your planning and development enquiries.

Getting advice early can save you time and reduce costs.

The three levels of development advice are:

Level 1 - Development support services. A free service providing initial or general planning and development advice.
Level 2 - Development related advice that may be more complex or involve research.
Level 3 - Development Advisory Panel for people who intend to lodge a development application and would like early advice.

Level 1

Our Development Support Officers provide a free development support service to assist with:

Fee quotes for all development related applications.
General advice about State and Local Government regulations.
Reviewing and accepting all development related applications.
Advice about Exempt and Complying Development.
Coordinating Development Related Advice requests and Development Advisory Panel meetings.

Complete the request form

Or phone 02 6626 7025 during office hours.

Name

Contact No.

Detailed description of enquiry (max 300 characters) * (required)

Level 2

Development related advice is provided by planners or other technical officers.

Advice can be in writing or provided at a meeting.

This service can also be used to review development consent conditions.

Step 1.Complete the online application form

You will need to pay the application fee of $227 per hour. One hour is charged on application.

Other fees may apply depending on the complexity of the advice. This includes:

Research relating to a dwelling entitlement - $681 ($227 per hour - min 3 hours).
Research relating to the lapsing of development consents - $454 ($227 per hour - min 2 hours).
Endorsement of legal documents - $473.

Apply for Development Related Advice

Step 2.Council reviews application

We will contact you if we need more information.

If you have requested a meeting, this will be arranged.

Step 3.Research

One of our technical officers will conduct research of available documents.

Step 4.Issue advice

Once completed, we will email the advice to the address provided on the form.

Processing times vary.

Level 3

If you're in the early stages of planning a development and intend to lodge a Development Application (DA), our Development Advisory Panel (DAP) can help you get advice on specific aspects of your proposal.

What the Panel Does

The panel offers early-stage, focused advice to help you shape your proposal before lodging your DA. It’s designed to:

Give advice on specific planning and design questions.
Where relevant, identify any major site constraints and design issues that may need attention.

What the Panel Doesn’t Do

The panel does not review your entire proposal in detail – that happens during the formal DA assessment process.
It does not provide approval or guarantee support for your development.
It won’t accept requests for broad or general advice – your questions need to be specific. In some cases, it will be more appropriate that advice is provided under Level 2 Written Planning Advice.

Be Prepared

To get the most out of your meeting, come with a clear concept and specific questions. The more prepared you are, the more helpful the advice will be.

Step 1.Complete the online meeting request form

Upload plans and/or documents to support your request and provide specific questions to enable council to invite the appropriate technical staff to the meeting.

Apply for a Development Advisory Panel meeting

Step 2.Council reviews meeting request

We will contact you if we need more information or if we consider a meeting unnecessary.

If a meeting is to be scheduled, you will need to pay the DAP meeting fee prior to the meeting taking place. Development Support Officers will contact you to arrange payment.

Step 3.Meeting

Experienced officers will meet with you and go through the specific questions you have raised in the meeting request form.

Meetings usually take place at Council's Administration building, 70 Station Street, Mullumbimby. Requests for Teams or Hybrid of in person and online meeting may be considered and must be clearly stated in the application.

There are only a limited number of development advisory panel meetings available each month.

Step 4.Minutes prepared and distributed

Once completed, we will email the minutes of the meeting.