Development Application or Complying Development for builds in NSW?
When a new home is to be built, there are two options for having the project council approved. These options are a) Development Application (DA) or b) Complying Development Certificate (CDC approval). As with most things, there are pros and cons to both systems. Being DA approved doesn’t necessarily mean that a property would meet CDC compliance, as you will see below.
A DA is a complex two-stage process that requires both a separate council development application approval and a Construction Certificate (CC) approval.
The local council completes a DA assessment as the first step.
Once the DA is completed, a Construction Certificate needs to be submitted and approved before the build can begin. The CC approval requires a lot of detailed documents including plans from surveyors, architects and engineers. Fire safety and environmental impact statements and building specifications also need to be included.
3 months vs 6 weeks – but is your project eligible for CDC approval?
A Complying Development Certification is a more streamlined process requiring fewer steps to be completed. For this reason, a CDC is a faster process to council approval than a DA. The development approval time varies from only 3-6 weeks for a CDC approval or up to 3 months for a DA. If adjustments need to be made because the project doesn’t meet legislation requirements, it could be even longer.
Additionally, although both methods must adhere to strict guidelines, a CDC approval won’t proceed unless every requirement is met. It will be automatically found to be a non-complying development and rejected.
However, with a DA, there is a little more flexibility. When a project doesn’t technically fit within the regulations, the council has the option to review it and allow it to proceed.
It is important to note that not all developments will be eligible for CDC approval. There are a number of restrictions that could mean that a DA is your only allowable option.
What is a Complying Development Certificate?
The NSW government first introduced CDC compliance in 1998. A Complying Development Certification is a fast track approval process for developments that are straightforward in nature.
Local Approvals works with you to identify the quickest building approval process for your project. Via our Preliminary Planning Assessment, we determine whether your project qualifies for complying development certification. When CDC compliance is achievable, we begin the certification process. Because we know your project can be CDC certified by the council or a qualified building certifier, a full Development Application isn’t needed.
Due to the benefits of fast track approval, Complying Development must strictly adhere to a checklist of requirements for CDC development in NSW. The experts at Local Approvals identify anything that could automatically disqualify your property from the Complying Development certificate fast track. You are ready to build before you know it!
