• To avoid delays, it’s important to know what you need to do and prepare for your development application.
  • There are a number of things to think about when you prepare your development application (DA), to make sure it meets ACT laws and regulations.
  • Use the checklists and tools available to gather your documents and talk to the right people.

Proposing a new development takes a lot of work. Most of this work happens before you lodge a development application (DA).

What to consider

There are many things to consider when you prepare a DA, including:

  • how you’ll use the land and if it's allowed in that zone
  • if your proposal is allowed under the current Crown Lease
  • planning requirements for the relevant district, suburb and/or block and zone
  • any probable impacts the development might have on the community or environment
  • how well the development suits the site and area
  • how the development interacts with neighbouring developments and zones
  • utilities, easements, traffic movement and other matters relevant to other Government agencies, and
  • the DA fees to pay with your application.

These all affect whether the proposal is allowed and how the Territory Planning Authority assesses your DA.

How to prepare your DA

To prepare your DA, you’ll need to:

  • prepare your documents and understand the process
  • check your site for constraints like heritage status
  • make sure you are complying with the relevant planning requirements
  • do an environmental impact assessment, if required
  • consult the National Capital Design Review Panel (NCDRP), if required, and
  • check the current fees.

Prepare your documents

The key to a smooth assessment process is to get your proposal and documents right. This helps to save time, money and resources when assessing your application.

To avoid any delays, include all supporting documents and plans with your application. Use the minimum documentation requirements to check what you need to submit.

Before you start, make sure you understand the DA document names and definitions.

Your documentation must:

  • address each relevant provision of the Territory Plan, including mandatory requirements
  • include details of any condition of previous approvals that affect the development, and
  • show how the proposed development works with surrounding blocks and developments.

You must also complete a Development Outcomes Report with your DA. This report demonstrates how your development proposal:

  • achieves the overarching outcomes in the Territory Plan, and
  • meets mandatory assessment requirements.

Get pre-DA advice

Before you lodge your DA, you can get advice from the Territory Planning Authority. You can get this advice in a pre-application meeting, receive formal written advice or seek general advice from the DA gateway team.

Find out more about pre-application meetings and advice.

Seeking entity advice or endorsement

Before you lodge your DA, you might seek entity advice or endorsement.

You can seek advice from entities prior to submitting your application, but is not required as entity referrals are undertaken during the assessment process.

Significant development

A development is a significant development if it requires any of the following:

Get an Environmental Impact Assessment

It’s important to know if your development might impact the environment and community. An Environmental Impact Assessment may be required for projects that have a significant environmental impact.

This will occur through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which is required to be finalised before lodging a DA. However, an EIS isn’t required if an Environmental Significance Opinion (ESO) has been given for the proposal.

Consult the NCDRP

A design review will assist with improving the design quality of our built environment. The NCDRP is an ACT Government and National Capital Authority (NCA) service. They can review your DA with a city-wide design lens before you lodge it.

Consultation with NCDRP is required for all proposals with 5 or more storeys or to increase the floorspace of a shop by more than 2000m2 if the shop is fully or partly located within certain zones.

The NCDRP will review the design of the proposed development and provide advice. This advice must be considered and responded to in your DA submission.

Check the fees

You will have costs to pay to design and build your project. There are also a range of other fees you may need to pay during your project. These may include fees for:

  • development application
  • application for building approval
  • certificates and inspections
  • records searches
  • registrations of plans and lodgement of certificates, or
  • building certifiers.

You’ll need to budget for these costs. Your building contract won’t cover all costs, such as those related to ACT Government fees. Make sure you understand which fees are and are not included in your building contract.

Do a final check

Before you submit, you should undertake a final check and make sure your application includes:

  • all the documents you need in the minimum documentation required
  • a signed letter of authorisation from your neighbours
  • each document saved as a PDF with the correct naming conventions
  • redacted versions of documents suitable for public release, such as public register floor plans for residential and commercial applications
  • a development outcomes report (and response to design guides where relevant)
  • all plans in landscape format and uploaded separately, and
  • where specified, submit printed plans and documentation.

Submit your DA

Once you have included everything in the checklist, submit your DA online.