What Is the Difference Between a Planning Permit and a Building Permit?

These are often confused, but they serve different purposes and are issued by different authorities. A planning permit assesses whether a proposed development is suitable for the site under the local planning scheme, considering factors such as zoning, neighbourhood character, heritage, parking and environmental constraints. A building permit confirms that the design complies with the National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards for structural safety, fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency. Some projects require a planning permit, a building permit, both, or neither. We'll identify which approvals your project requires and prepare the documentation needed to obtain them.

What Do I Need to Lodge a Planning Application With Design Yard 32?

We can lodge your planning permit application once the concept plans have been prepared by Design Yard 32 and approved by you. We'll need an up-to-date certificate of title, a feature and level survey completed by a licensed land surveyor, and your design brief. We coordinate any consultant reports required, which are lodged together with the drawings and planning report.

What Planning Controls Are Applicable to My Land?

Each state and territory provides an online planning tool where you can search a property address and generate a report showing the controls that apply. A zone typically regulates land use, permit triggers, building heights, setbacks, lot sizes and density; an overlay adds extra requirements on top of the zone for a specific feature of the land, such as heritage, bushfire or flood risk. You can also contact your local council directly for this information.

What's Included in a Planning Permit Application?

The documentation required depends on your project, property and the planning controls that apply. A typical application may include existing and proposed site plans, floor plans, building elevations, streetscape drawings, shadow diagrams, external materials and finishes, a planning report, and supporting photographs. The level of documentation varies depending on the scale, complexity and location of the development.

Will I Need Reports From Other Consultants for My Planning Permit?

Some projects require specialist reports to support the planning application. Depending on your site and proposal, these may include traffic and parking assessments, acoustic reports, stormwater management reports, waste management reports, landscape plans, arborist reports, heritage impact statements, or bushfire assessments. The need for additional reports depends on the planning controls affecting your property, such as heritage, bushfire, flooding or environmental overlays, as well as the type and scale of development proposed. Not every project requires every report.

Do I Need a Planning Permit to Convert a House Into a Medical Clinic or Childcare Centre?

Converting an existing house into a medical clinic, childcare centre or other commercial use will generally require a planning permit, because it involves a change of land use. Council will assess whether the proposed use is appropriate for the site, considering factors such as zoning, neighbourhood impact, traffic and parking, accessibility, noise, artificial lighting, public safety, signage, operating hours and any applicable planning overlays. We review the planning controls affecting your property during the early design stage and identify the approvals required before progressing with the project.

Town Planning Services

We provide in-house town planning services for commercial and residential projects, including new builds, conversions and extensions, with design and planning under one roof.

Planning Permit Process

Every project follows a different approval pathway. During the early design stage, we review your property, identify the planning controls that apply, and determine whether a planning permit is required.

Where planning approval is needed, we prepare the required documentation and coordinate the relevant consultants, then lodge the application with council and manage the process through to a decision. Council or other stakeholders may request further information or design changes, and we work with you to respond to these requirements and refine the proposal where needed.

When a Planning Permit Is Required

Every property in Australia is affected by planning rules, covering matters such as zoning, heritage, bushfire risk, flooding, neighbourhood character and environmental protection. Each state runs its own planning system and terminology, but the principles are similar across Australia, with local councils assessing applications against the rules that apply to each parcel of land.

The good news is that not every project requires a planning permit - it depends on your property, the type of development, and the planning controls affecting the site. We'll determine the most suitable approval pathway during the concept design stage, before any detailed design work begins.

A few examples where planning permits are commonly required:

Building or extending a new commercial building
Constructing a second dwelling or outbuilding (for example decks, sheds, garages, pools, services enclosures)
Adding external services to a commercial building, for example an HVAC condenser, solar panels or pumps
Changing the use of a building, for example converting a residential house into a medical clinic, childcare centre or office
Altering the external fabric of a commercial building
Residential development that doesn't fully meet the applicable state's standard residential design requirements (in Victoria, this is known as ResCode)
Installing external business signage
Removing significant trees
Constructing or altering a vehicle crossover
Developing land affected by a Heritage, Bushfire, Flood or other planning overlay

Many internal renovations and commercial fitouts do not require a planning permit, and some new buildings can also proceed without one if they fully comply with all applicable planning controls. We'll assess your project at the very beginning and explain exactly what approvals are required.

Can a Planning Permit Be Avoided?

In some cases, yes. Many projects can be designed to comply with planning rules without requiring a planning permit - this doesn't mean the rules don't apply, it simply means the proposed design already complies with them.

During the concept design stage, we'll assess your property and, where possible, develop a solution that avoids unnecessary planning approval. Not every project can follow this pathway, but where it's possible, it can save valuable time before construction begins.

Recent planning reforms in Victoria, including updated residential standards introduced through amendments to the state planning scheme, have simplified the approval process for many residential developments, though other Australian states are running their own reform timetables. Depending on your property and the planning controls that apply, some new homes, extensions and multi-residential developments may not require a planning permit if they fully comply with the applicable planning standards.

Internal commercial fitouts rarely require a planning permit.

What Consultants May Be Required?

Some planning applications require specialist consultant reports. We regularly coordinate these consultants as part of our service:

Land Surveyor - prepares the Feature and Level Survey, usually the first document required before design begins
Stormwater Engineer - designs the site's drainage system and demonstrates appropriate stormwater management
Traffic Engineer - assesses vehicle access, parking requirements and traffic impacts, particularly for commercial and multi-residential developments
Landscape Designer - prepares landscape plans that satisfy council requirements
Acoustic Consultant - assesses potential noise impacts, commonly required for healthcare, childcare, hospitality, industrial and multi-residential projects
Bushfire Consultant - required for properties affected by a Bushfire Management Overlay, preparing the Bushfire Assessment Report that may influence the building's location, materials and design
Heritage Consultant - prepares the Heritage Impact Statement for heritage-listed properties or land covered by a Heritage Overlay
Arborist - assesses significant trees on or near the property and advises where development may affect their health or protection

Contact Us

Frequently Asked Questions - Town Planning

These are often confused, but they serve different purposes and are issued by different authorities.
A planning permit assesses whether a proposed development is suitable for the site under the local planning scheme, considering factors such as zoning, neighbourhood character, heritage, parking and environmental constraints.
A building permit confirms that the design complies with the National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards for structural safety, fire safety, accessibility and energy efficiency.
Some projects require a planning permit, a building permit, both, or neither. We'll identify which approvals your project requires and prepare the documentation needed to obtain them.
We can lodge your planning permit application once the concept plans have been prepared by Design Yard 32 and approved by you. We'll need an up-to-date certificate of title, a feature and level survey completed by a licensed land surveyor, and your design brief. We coordinate any consultant reports required, which are lodged together with the drawings and planning report.
Each state and territory provides an online planning tool where you can search a property address and generate a report showing the controls that apply. A zone typically regulates land use, permit triggers, building heights, setbacks, lot sizes and density; an overlay adds extra requirements on top of the zone for a specific feature of the land, such as heritage, bushfire or flood risk. You can also contact your local council directly for this information.
The documentation required depends on your project, property and the planning controls that apply. A typical application may include existing and proposed site plans, floor plans, building elevations, streetscape drawings, shadow diagrams, external materials and finishes, a planning report, and supporting photographs.
The level of documentation varies depending on the scale, complexity and location of the development.
Some projects require specialist reports to support the planning application. Depending on your site and proposal, these may include traffic and parking assessments, acoustic reports, stormwater management reports, waste management reports, landscape plans, arborist reports, heritage impact statements, or bushfire assessments.
The need for additional reports depends on the planning controls affecting your property, such as heritage, bushfire, flooding or environmental overlays, as well as the type and scale of development proposed. Not every project requires every report.
Converting an existing house into a medical clinic, childcare centre or other commercial use will generally require a planning permit, because it involves a change of land use.
Council will assess whether the proposed use is appropriate for the site, considering factors such as zoning, neighbourhood impact, traffic and parking, accessibility, noise, artificial lighting, public safety, signage, operating hours and any applicable planning overlays.
We review the planning controls affecting your property during the early design stage and identify the approvals required before progressing with the project.