What is a Place of Public Worship?

A place of public worship is defined in the relevant Council’s Local Environmental Plan as:

place of public worship means a building or place used for the purpose of religious worship by a congregation or religious group, whether or not the building or place is also used for counselling, social events, instruction or religious training.

When is a DA Required?

A Development Application (DA) is typically required for all new places of public worship unless already approved by a previous development consent (DA or BA). There are no exempt development or complying development pathways for establishing a new place of public worship and all new proposals require a DA to be lodged and approved by the relevant Council.

What about modifications?

A DA and approval is required for:

Any alterations or additions to existing place of public worship facility
Change of use of existing buildings to a new place of public worship
Modifications that increase capacity, footprint, operational matters relating to an existing place of public worship

What about Minor Works?

Some minor works in or around existing place of public worship facilities may be exempt or complying development such as:

Installing security measures such as bollards, fencing, and security cameras;
Upgrading accessibility features beyond standard maintenance;
Landscaping changes.

If in doubt, get in touch and our team of expert Planners can answer any questions you might have.

How do I apply for a DA?

When applying for a DA for a new place of public worship, the application will require the following (as a minimum):

Owners Consent
Title Search
Survey Plan
Architectural plans
Traffic and Parking Report
Access Report
Acoustic Report
Statement of Environmental Effects
Operational Plan of Management
Landscape Plans
Stormwater Plans

There may be additional documentation, plans and reports required in certain circumstances. Get in touch with our team of expert Planners to find out any site or Council specific requirements.

How can PLANZONE help?

Our team has extensive experience dealing with a number of Council’s in NSW and obtaining DA’s and BIC’s for places of public worship. Below are some fast facts about our experience: