FAQ's

We are a town planning and building design practice. We help you work out what you can build on a site, prepare the plans and paperwork, and guide your project through council approval.

That includes houses, dual occupancies, townhouses, child care centres, schools, seniors housing, places of public worship, commercial and rural projects.

It depends on where you are. If you are still deciding whether a site suits your idea, start with a planner. If you already know what you want to build, a designer can start the plans.

Because we offer both, we can point you to the right starting place and keep the two sides working together.

Yes. A feasibility study checks what a site can realistically achieve before you commit. It can cover options, building envelopes, yield and planning rules. It is often the cheapest way to avoid an expensive surprise.

We work across NSW and have experience with more than 100 council areas. Our offices are in Liverpool and the Sydney CBD.

A DA is the formal request you lodge with your local council for permission to build, change or use a site. Council reviews it against its planning rules and decides whether to approve it.

Construction certificates

Complying development (a faster pathway for projects that meet set rules)

Building information certificates, for work already built without approval

Subdivision certificates

Planning proposals and rezonings

A BIC is a council certificate for work that was built without the right approval. It can help bring the building into the system. Whether one is suitable depends on the building and your council, so ask us before you apply.

Yes. We prepare concept subdivisions, master plans, building envelope studies and planning proposals. We also manage the other consultants involved and support community consultation.

Yes. This is one of our specialist areas. These projects often need careful attention to parking, noise and community feedback, and we can guide you through each step.

Through PLANZONE Designs, we prepare building designs and drafted plans for residential, commercial and industrial projects. We also provide massing studies, materials and finishes selection, and 3D renders.

Yes. We can engage the specialists for you, such as surveyors, engineers, quantity surveyors, geotechnical reports, BASIX and NatHERS certification, and traffic impact assessments.

Yes. Our team includes registered designers for dual occupancy, manor house and multi dwelling housing (terraces) under the Low Rise Housing Diversity Code.

You may be able to appeal to the NSW Land and Environment Court. We can review the refusal reasons, explain your options in plain terms and tell you honestly whether an appeal looks worthwhile.

Representation in the Land and Environment Court

Class 1 and Class 4 appeals

Preparing appeal documents

Section 34 conferences (a meeting to try to settle the matter)

Expert witness evidence

Yes, and the deadlines are strict. Contact us as soon as you receive a refusal so you do not miss out on the appeal window times.

Costs depend on the type, size and complexity of your project, and on your council. Contact us with a few details and we will explain the likely scope and fees before you commit. All our fee proposals are itemised providing full transparency of our costs for peace of mind.

Timeframes vary between councils and projects. Complying development is usually quicker than a DA. We keep you updated and stay in contact with council so the process keeps moving.

Yes. We explain each step, tell you what council needs and let you know when anything changes.

Call 1300 823 059 or email info@planzone.com.au.

You can meet us in person at our offices, we are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by appointment:

Liverpool: Suite 7/92 Bathurst Street, Liverpool NSW 2170
Sydney CBD: Level 1/60 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000