The (Planning Permit) road less travelled
Imagine that you are a Town Planner.
You have limited time to work through a number of Planning Permit Applications.
Which application should get your attention?
Developer A
On the one hand, you have a stack of Planning Permit applications sitting on your desk.
Every single one of those applications are a beautiful, completed sets of plans – the result of weeks of work between architects and developers.
The only problem is that you, the Town Planner, weren’t consulted on any of those plans until just before they were lodged with Council.
You are now in the unfortunate position of having to inform most of these architects that their drawings have breached several Council conditions. At this stage this will probably mean major revisions – possibly fundamental design changes. Which in turn will probably mean more time delays and significant $$$ in rework for the developers.
This makes you, as the Town Planner, the bad guy – the reality being that you were simply consulted too late (or not at all) in the design process.
Developer B
On the other hand, you were involved in an unusual meeting with a different type of developer this morning.
One who turned up at Council and presented you with Land Use Plans.
“What’s this?”, you think.
This developer is consulting Town Planning before drawing of plans has even commenced?
What a breath of fresh air.
And this developer actually listened to your comments as the Town Planner, AND is incorporating your suggestions? (Compared to those other developers who try to dictate to you a predetermined outcome that they want.)
Even though there are many weeks of design work still to come, with this type of developer, you can truly have a say in the development of your Council (the whole reason you went into Town Planning), instead of merely having to be the ‘bad cop’.
What would you do?
If you were this Town Planner – which of the above planning permit applications would you prefer to work on?
PS. For bonus points – which type of Developer are you?
NEED A PLANNING PERMIT?
Ask us how a Land Use Plan can help you gain early
Council support before you spend time and money
on Town Planning Applications.
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