In This Section
Development Applications (commonly called DA’s) are a formal request for permission to carry out a proposed development including building, subdividing, change of land use, landscaping or other works.
It is important to know how to submit a DA properly so you can get Council approval.
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment has a useful guide to the DA process.
A Development Application, commonly referred to as a DA is assessed based on its merits and should align to the development standards, controls and provisions as set out in Council’s:
Upon an acceptable assessment outcome of your proposed development, Council will issue a Development Consent under Section 4.18 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 which will outline the Conditions of Consent that you will need to meet.
Upon receiving your DA Approval and prior to commencing you will need to obtain a Construction Certificate for any building works and/or a Subdivision Works Certificate for any subdivision works and appoint a Principle Certifier.
Council provides these services and offer a discounted fee when a Construction Certificate is applied for at the same time as the DA.
The requirements for lodging a Development Application are mandated by legislation. Refer to the HUB and the checklist on the application form for further guidance.
One of the most common reasons for delays in receiving approval is a lack of required information or inadequate information on plans and documentation.
Council recommends engaging a suitable professional to assist in preparing your application if you are unsure of the requirements.
You will generally need, at a minimum, to employ the services of a designer or draftsperson.
For more complicated proposals, you may need the services of an architect and may also need the services of a qualified consultant town planner to prepare your Statement of Environmental Effects.
You may also need to consider engaging other professionals such as a heritage professional, traffic planner, bushfire consultant, engineer or registered surveyor.
Staff do not offer a design consultancy service or undertake research to identify planning controls, however, for larger proposals within the Shoalhaven, it would be useful to have a prior discussion with Council's assessment staff.
Initial enquiries should be directed to:
Further information about Prelodgement meetings can be found in the HUB.
From 1 January 2021, we require lodgement of all Development Applications (DAs) and Complying Development Certificates (CDCs) to be via the NSW Planning Portal. This change is in line with the NSW Government's plan for all Councils to participate in their ePlanning platform for application lodgement.
Lodge online via the NSW Planning Portal
Lodgement of DAs will no longer be accepted via email or in person and must be lodged using the NSW Planning Portal. This means that you will need to create an ePlanning account on the NSW Planning Portal website to lodge your application.
This change is in line with the NSW Government’s plan for all Councils to participate in their ePlanning platform for application lodgement.
Getting set-up for online lodgement is simple and you can start using it straight away:
Once created, you can apply for DAs with us online via your ePlanning account.
For an overview on the NSW Planning Portal, watch this video.
Applications will only be formally accepted and progressed upon payment. Development Application and related fees must be paid to Council for the processing of an application. An invoice will be sent via the Planning Portal to the applicant.
Once your application has been submitted we will check over it and let you know via your Planning Portal account if we require any additional information. If so, you will need to submit this information to us via your Planning Portal account.
You will be automatically notified when we've lodged your application into our system and when your application has been determined by us. Approved plans and documentation will be delivered to you via your Planning Portal account. You can keep track of your application’s progress via our Development Application Tracking.
Further information about Electronic lodgement can be found in the HUB.