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Pre-Development Applications

Waverley Council offers a Pre-DA (Development Application) service where you can lodge a preliminary application with Council to obtain an opinion on a proposal before you lodge a formal development application.

Pre-DAs are lodged directly with Council and cannot be lodged via the NSW Planning Portal.

Waverley Council's Pre-DA lodgement service provides future applicants who have already prepared concept development plans with the opportunity to discuss the details of their proposal. While your plans need not be to DA lodgement standard, the more detail you provide the better, as it enables us to provide more useful advice on your proposal.

The Pre-DA consultation service cannot determine the outcome of a future DA and does not bind Council to a finding, however it provides useful advice regarding your proposal and can help in determining Council's key issues, design modifications required and whether to proceed with the application. This service is provided for a fee which is based on the cost of the proposed development – you can obtain a fee estimate in advance by contacting Customer Service. Formal advice is then provided outlining any issues that should be addressed prior to the subsequent lodgement of the Development Application (DA).

While the Pre-DA service is not a prerequisite to a DA, Waverley Council encourages pre-DAs for the following types of developments:

• New multi dwelling housing, residential flat buildings and other residential buildings, including boarding houses, student housing and serviced apartments;
• Mixed use developments with both residential and commercial and large scale subdivisions;
• Commercial development (other than minor additions/alterations or change of use applications);
• Industrial development (other than minor additions/alterations or change of use applications);
• Significant developments (developments with a value of $20 million +);
• Institutional buildings;
• Applications that include the offer of a Planning Agreement;
• Significant alterations and additions to buildings in the E1 (Local centre), E2 (Commercial core) and MU1 (Mixed Use) zones; and;
• Where significant site constraints exist.

Developments that will require review by the Design Excellence Advisory Panel (DEAP) when a formal Development Application is lodged, are also encouraged to undertake a review at Pre-DA stage with the DEAP, as the Panel's involvement at an early stage of the design process can resolve issues early on and this may be more cost effective overall, prior to formal DA lodgement. Review by the DEAP incurs a referral fee. Please refer to the Design Excellence Advisory Panel page for further information of what types of development are subject to panel review.

Lodge a Pre-DA using the below materials:

• Pre-Development Application form
• Electronic Lodgement Guidelines

The application must be submitted via email to info@waverley.nsw.gov.au attentioned to the Duty Planner. Once your application has been accepted by Council, you will be contacted by Council's Customer Service team for payment.

Your Pre-DA application will be allocated to an available Development Assessment Officer to assess. Your Pre DA may also be referred to internal technical officers of Council to review other components of the proposal (such as public domain, stormwater, traffic and parking, trees, fire safety, heritage, urban design officers etc) before advice is provided.

Should a meeting be required, the Development Assessment Officer will arrange a time to meet with you and the relevant Area Manager (who oversees the geographical area to which your proposal relates) to discuss the proposal. The Duty Planner does not provide Pre-DA advice.