The pre-lodgement meeting provides the opportunity for applicants to meet with relevant Council officers to raise queries, seek clarification on proposals and for Council officers to provide advice and identify relevant matters for consideration.
A pre-lodgement meeting is not suitable for general enquiries. General enquiries can be answered over the phone or in person at the Council offices at Stanthorpe and Warwick.
The role of Council's pre-lodgement meeting
The pre-lodgement meeting is intended to provide timely advice and avoid unnecessary delays to development projects. The pre-lodgement meeting serves to promote and maintain effective communication between the Council and prospective development proponents.
Purpose
The purpose of the pre-lodgement meetings with Council officers is to facilitate well-made applications, which is envisaged to enable a quicker decision process for applicants. The meeting should identify matters relevant to the proposal or site location that should be considered and addressed in preparing a development application for the proposal.
Issues
The issues that the applicant raises prior to the meeting will be investigated and discussed during the pre-lodgement meeting. To obtain the best outcomes from the pre-lodgement meeting, applicants should identify aspects of their proposal that do not comply with the Planning Scheme which they wish to discuss.
Council officers will research and prepare comments based on the information provided. Where possible, Council officers will suggest alternative and acceptable outcomes and provide guidance on the applicable legislation and development issues.
A pre-lodgement meeting is for discussion and clarification purposes only and not intended to pre-empt a final decision in relation to a development application. It does not determine the outcome of any subsequent application, which will be the subject of detailed assessment in accordance with the Planning Act 2016 and the Southern Downs Planning Scheme.
Experienced and expert Council officers will attend the pre-lodgement meeting. Applicants can then be assured that the information they receive will be accurate and importantly, that the opinions expressed will be supported further into the application process.
For further information please read through the Pre-lodgement Information Sheet (PDF 1.7MB).
Requesting a pre-lodgement meeting
You need to contact Council to request a pre-lodgement meeting.
A Council officer will contact you to arrange a convenient meeting time and ascertain details of the proposed development. The information you supply to Council when booking the pre-lodgement meeting will be used to assist Council officers in preparing for the pre-lodgement meeting and ensures that the appropriate officers attend the meeting, so that relevant issues can be discussed.
To request a pre-lodgement meeting with a Planning Officer, please complete the Pre-lodgement Request Form (PDF 293.7KB) and lodge the request via email to mail@sdrc.qld.gov.au. A Council Officer will then contact you with a request for payment of the applicable fee. Once payment is made, Council will schedule the pre-lodgement meeting. Please note that Council may require approximately 10 business days between the date of payment and the pre-lodgement meeting to enable internal advice to be sought. All relevant plans and associated information should be submitted to Council when payment is made.