The Development Application process
There are legislative requirements in place that Council must follow when looking at your application. The Planning Act 2016 establishes the assessment process for development applications. For council to consider your application, it must be fully completed or ‘properly made’ as per the Planning Act 2016.
Refer to the Queensland Development Assessment guide or we have set out the five steps to follow below.
Each step’s timeframe does not begin until the previous step has been completed or the timeframe has lapsed unless an extension is obtained. Not all of the steps will necessarily apply to your application
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When preparing a development application, the applicant must meet certain criteria to ensure the development application is a ‘properly made application’. These criteria relate to:
- using the correct form
- supplying the right information
- obtaining consent of the owner
- paying the fees.
The state government sets out the minimum required information in the development assessment forms.
The DA forms are maintained by the state government for use by applicants. When preparing a development application, if critical information is missing, the applicant will be asked to provide this information before the assessment begins.
DA forms are found on the State Queensland website:
Development application forms and templates | Planning (statedevelopment.qld.gov.au)
Submit your Development Application, along with payment* either:
In person at:
Community Sustainability
29 Channon Street
Gympie, Qld 4570
planning@gympie.qld.gov.au
or
by post to:
Gympie Regional Council
PO Box 155
Gympie, Qld 4570
council@gympie.qld.gov.au
*Additional fees apply for hard copies, refer to fees and charges for relevant associated costs.
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Sometimes a development application may require additional assessment. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that advice, approvals, and permits have been obtained by all referral agencies.
All responses given by a referral agency must be considered by the assessment manager in making their decision.
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Council may request more information from the applicant if it is regarded as helpful for assessing the development application.
The DA Rules outlines the timeframes around when the assessment manager may request further information. The applicant has three months to respond to the information request; however, this time may be extended by agreement.
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Public notification is required for certain development applications to help the community better understand development proposals in their local area and provide them the opportunity to make a submission about it.
Public notification is not a part of every development assessment process. It needs to be undertaken for impact assessable development applications and those development applications that include a variation request.
During the public notification period, the community can make submissions about a development application to the assessment manager, who will consider these when making their decision.
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Rules establish how long an assessment manager has to make the decision. Any referral agency responses will inform the assessment manager’s decision and ‘properly made submissions’ received during public notification may also be considered. The assessment manager must consider the development application and decide to:
- approve
- approve in part
- approve with conditions, or
- refuse.
The assessment manager notifies the applicant of the outcome in a decision notice.
If approved, the decision notice sets out the terms of the decision, appeal rights and conditions.
In the case of a refusal, the reasons for the refusal are set out.
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