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Friday January 1st - Roy Morgan Research "Buying Australian".
I have just seen a report from the Roy Morgan research
organisation - http://www.roymorgan.com/~/media/Files/Findings%20PDF/2014/January/5381-Australian%20Made%20by%20Generations.pdf
- which says that younger generation Aussies (Gen X & Gen Y) are significantly
less likely to "Buy Australian" than my generation. I am personally
concerned as we will continue to bleed jobs to the rest of the world if we do
not make deliberate decisions to 'Buy Australian". I would love to hear
particularly from Gen X and Gen Y friends if they agree. I would also love to
hear how we could change this and grow our local producer's businesses.
Monday August 9th - Possible Gold Coast Ferry Service
In recent days the Gold Coast City Council has announced that they will put out to tender the operation of a ferry service. If there is a successful tender the service could run from the northern part of South Stradbroke Island down to as far south as Broadbeach. There are also plans to have the Ferry Service connect to the sports district in Carrara, including Metricon Stadium.
Friday March 15th - RiskSmart Assessment to Include Small Business Uses
The Gold Coast City Council has taken a step forward this week by introducing RiskSmart Assessment for commercial businesses.
RiskSmart Assessment is a fast tracked development approval process that can see low risk developments approved in as little as 5 days. This week the RiskSmart Process has been expanded to include a number of small businesses.
According to the GCCC "The fast assessment turnaround will soon be available on selected code assessable applications for commercial services; convenience stores, medical centres, offices, restaurants, shops, takeaway food outlets and tourist shops".
This is good news as it will improve the development application speed of many small businesses on the Gold Coast and possibly lead to an increase in the number of available jobs.
Chair of City Planning, Councillor Cameron Caldwell stated that "We’re certainly hoping to see more commercial development applications as a result of this initiative and in the long term, the creation of more jobs,”.
One of the biggest obstacles to small businesses commencing on the Gold Coast is the excessive red tape involved in obtaining development approval. Now with many of these businesses being added to the RiskSmart assessment list, a 5 day turnaround approval may be possible for many new small businesses.
If you would like to have your business use approved through a RiskSmart Assessment we at Grummitt Planning would love to help you.
Wednesday March 13th - Construction Kickstart Extension - GCCC
Council yesterday advised that, in recognition of the extent of recent wet weather and its impact upon construction, they had extended the initial target dates for substantial commencement:
‘Please be advised that Council at their meeting of 12 March 2013 have made the following resolution in relation to the date for substantial commencement for the purposes of the Phase 1 Construction Kickstart (100% discount) due to the wet weather currently being experienced on the Gold Coast:
"Council resolves to extend the eligibility date for substantial commencement for the Phase 1 100% Construction Kickstart initiative to 30 April 2013 with the date for the Phase 2 50% discount to remain unchanged."
For further information on this, please refer to Council's website which has just been updated with information including changes to the rules and procedures, FAQ's and Fact Sheets in relation to the substantial commencement date.’
This has been changed to include the following section for Phase 1:
‘100% discount for transport, recreation facilities and stormwater infrastructure charges for projects with substantial commencement between 1 October 2012 and 30 April 2013, and completion by 31 March 2015. ‘
This is great news for some struggling to meet the original deadline and we trust good news for our city’s economy, that new jobs will be created.
Monday December 10th, 2012 - State Meeting Outcomes for the Charitable Sector
Noel wishes to thank
our
amazing clients and colleagues
in
the charitable sector for
their
inputs and encouragement for my recent meeting with State Government.
The meeting with State Government was quite incredible and very encouraging. Noel met with 2 of the very senior planning staff responsible for the statewide planning provisions and the head of department, James Coutts, was the son of a Methodist minister when growing up, so was very aware of the complexity of activities involved with Churches and community groups. We worked on some word changes that would make the ancillary activities of churches and community groups, undertaken as part of their core community services, to be included in the Place of Worship or Community Use land use definitions, which should mean that the separate applications that some organisations have to undertake for food banks, Op shops etc., will not be necessary. They undertook to review the provisions for the Community Purposes Zone to open the zone up for the broader community sector, not just government, and the definitions for churches and the wider community sector to make their processes easier and cheaper.
The meeting was positive, so we are trusting for a positive outcome into the future for the community service providers of our society.
Noel also has another phase of work with Gold Coast Council in their new planning scheme in the new year to facilitate the sector’s activities, so shall make you aware of progress on that also.
May we thank you again for your encouragement and wish you, our valued colleagues in this sector, the wisdom and fortitude required as you stand with the voiceless of our communities
The meeting with State Government was quite incredible and very encouraging. Noel met with 2 of the very senior planning staff responsible for the statewide planning provisions and the head of department, James Coutts, was the son of a Methodist minister when growing up, so was very aware of the complexity of activities involved with Churches and community groups. We worked on some word changes that would make the ancillary activities of churches and community groups, undertaken as part of their core community services, to be included in the Place of Worship or Community Use land use definitions, which should mean that the separate applications that some organisations have to undertake for food banks, Op shops etc., will not be necessary. They undertook to review the provisions for the Community Purposes Zone to open the zone up for the broader community sector, not just government, and the definitions for churches and the wider community sector to make their processes easier and cheaper.
The meeting was positive, so we are trusting for a positive outcome into the future for the community service providers of our society.
Noel also has another phase of work with Gold Coast Council in their new planning scheme in the new year to facilitate the sector’s activities, so shall make you aware of progress on that also.
May we thank you again for your encouragement and wish you, our valued colleagues in this sector, the wisdom and fortitude required as you stand with the voiceless of our communities
Friday November 23rd, 2012 - SPOLA Legislation Meeting Outcomes - Noel Grummitt
Last Monday, I was privileged to be part of a UDIA seminar in
Brisbane where Ian Walker, Assistant Minister for Planning Reform + 3
departmental officers explained some of the changes coming up in the planning
arena in coming months.
James Coutts explained the changes to the State Planning
Provisions which were to be compressed from 14 to 1 with some additional
guidelines attached for smaller Councils who did not have significant planning
resources to implement the new Provision. The Department has set Marc 13 as its
deadline.
Julie Saunders spent quite a bit of time talking about the
change to a single Referral Agency when any state agency is triggered, being
DSDIP Department, who will circulate documents to all required referral agencies
(so an applicant will not be caught by or guilty of missed referrals). DSDIP
will co-ordinate a single response for the applicant that will express the
“State’s position”. Documents will be lodged electronically. Details of fees are
yet to be worked out. The other element that they are wanting to resolve is
mapping accuracy as well. Timing for implementation is March 2013, but most felt
that to be overly optimistic.
Paul Eagles talked about the roll back of the Coastal Plan
regulations to pre-January 2012. SPP 3/11 is suspended for, I think, 6 months,
when the new overall SPP will be in place. Part 2 of the current policy has not
been suspended and still is to be complied with. I will write some further
information on that in the near future.
Overall it was an encouraging status report with lots of
positive change being rolled out to simplify the development assessment
process.
Noel Grummitt
Friday November 2nd, 2012 - Gold Coast City Council's New Planning Director - Gail Connolly
You may not have seen local media announcing the new Director of Council’s Planning Directorate. It is Gail Connolly who will start her role in the position on December 10 this year. She comes with a wealth of local and State Government experience in New South Wales, most particularly in Sydney City Council and, of most interest, in issues surrounding the lead up to the 2000 Olympic Games and ongoing work surrounding major renewal and transportation projects in Sydney City.
Gail clearly has strong planning background and qualifications as well as strong management skills having directed major planning departments for Sydney city and new South Wales Government.
As we face the challenges of establishing new infrastructure and the planning legacies around them, particularly the Gold Coast University Hospital/ GUGC development, the GC Light Rail and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, her experience will be invaluable.
We look forward to seeing her team building skills working within the Planning Directorate particularly in encouraging Council’s good young planners to grow their skills and career paths.
We look forward to working with Gail and her team in growing economically and socially healthy communities in our City.
Gail clearly has strong planning background and qualifications as well as strong management skills having directed major planning departments for Sydney city and new South Wales Government.
As we face the challenges of establishing new infrastructure and the planning legacies around them, particularly the Gold Coast University Hospital/ GUGC development, the GC Light Rail and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, her experience will be invaluable.
We look forward to seeing her team building skills working within the Planning Directorate particularly in encouraging Council’s good young planners to grow their skills and career paths.
We look forward to working with Gail and her team in growing economically and socially healthy communities in our City.
Wednesday October 24th, 2012 - Kickstart Update
Last Thursday night Councillor Caldwell gave the development
industry an update on the take-up to date on Council’s Construction Kickstart
programme. To date more than 100 enquiries had been made with almost 90
applications for consideration under the Kickstart programme with the majority
of those accepted. Projects rejected were largely ones already under
construction. Council is hopeful that State Government reviews of the whole
Infrastructure Charging regimes will be completed during the period of the
Kickstart programme to give long-lasting fairer distribution of the costs of
infrastructure provision, so was clear that the current interim measures will
not be extended beyond the 12 months timeframe. For developments that have DA
the full discount available cannot be claimed if projects are not substantially
commenced by 1 April next (i.e. substantial construction done, i.e. slabs down/
walls up or major earthworks substantially done). The half discount then will
apply. For projects which do not have DA yet, the ability to claim the full
discount will be difficult to achieve, unless BA and other OPW documentation is
done in parallel with DA processes, with the attendant risks of changes being
required from the DA conditions. Do ensure you speak to your town planning
consultants if you have any questions or to us. We’d be happy to give you a
no-obligation advice.
Wednesday October 24th, 2012 - Buy1Give1 Cambodia Connection
As many of you know, we were able to get our Cambodian
charity – Cambodian Hope Organisation (CHO) - accepted as a Worthy Cause by the
Buy1Give1 organisation which has enabled them to not only receive support from
our clients but also from a range of others in the B1G1 family. In January B1G1
is organising a short visit to 3 Cambodian Causes supported by B1G1 donors,
including our own CHO. I have committed to joining the group and will be in
Cambodia from January 6-10 and look forward to bringing you my personal updates
on the great things being done there and to bring back the appreciation of the
organisations and their clients. I am also taking the opportunity to extend my
time away to visit our daughter and her husband in Myanmar (Burma) where she is
currently with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). There may be some opportunities to
expand the B1G1 giving family into that country also. Who knows?
Monday October 8, 2012 - Gold Coast Construction Kick-start Success
The Gold Coast Council’s Construction Kickstart is a fact and working. Our first response was received last Friday confirming that a development of 30 apartments in Labrador was eligible for the Kickstart stimulus and an amended infrastructure charges notice issued, reducing the infrastructure charges from $203,056.70 to $70,441.72, a saving of more than $130,000.
We would expect this level of reduction to be typical for the temporary reductions for most eligible residential and commercial development. For increases in floor areas for existing non-residential uses or changes to existing approved commercial uses, reductions are not temporary and are full 100% reductions. Other reductions also apply, so please call us if you have any questions. Needless to say we have one very delighted client who will be turning soil in coming weeks.
Ipswich City Council - Speeding things up
Ipswich City Council has announced that, as of October 1, a number of development applications have been included in a 5-day turnaround initiative, dubbed “Hit the Fast Track” by Cr Paul Tully, to enhance the DA process in the City.
These include single residential uses, dual occupancies,
boundary realignments, multi-residential developments of up to 10 units,
subdivisions of up to 10 lots and some other minor MCU and Operational Works
applications, provided there are no State Government Referrals nor other
significant constraints. “It’s all part of ensuring Ipswich maintains
competitive development assessment processes that are consistent with the aims
of the city” he said. -
Friday September 14, 2012 - Changes Across Queensland
State Budget
After all the negative media re the state of the State economy (reflected in the downgrading of our credit rating today), there was little hope of significant stimulus for the development industry but the changes to the first home owner’s grant is certainly good news for new home construction which should stimulate employment in domestic residential development.
New State Legislation
Changes to the planning legislation were tabled in Parliament
yesterday. I will do a review of the 130+ pages of legislation and explanatory
information in coming days but media statements indicate some significant
changes, perhaps the most significant being that a losing party in a planning
appeal could, “where the Court sees fit” be liable for all costs. This is a
massive disincentive for community groups to be involved in P&E Court
matters, so I will check the fine print to see what checks and balances are
provided to not shackle legitimate community interest appeals. Greater access to
“no cost” mediation for community groups and individuals is a welcome change. A
single state referral entity will simplify processing and changes to state
resources entitlements are overdue and welcome.
Council Infrastructure Charging - GCCC
Council will vote today on changes to infrastructure charging
that will be of significant benefit to the development industry on the Gold
Coast, including, for smaller residential and commercial developments, a 100%
holiday on all but water and sewer charges for development substantially started
between October 1 and April 1 next and a 50% holiday for the following 6 months.
More significant perhaps will be the 100% holiday for ALL charges for
non-residential development starting in existing commercial premises with
community groups still eligible for 50% of water and sewer charges. Changes
commence on October 01.
Monday September 10, 2012 - Major Changes to Gold Coast Infrastructure Charges!
This week promises to be one of the most significant weeks in the development
industry on the Gold Coast.
Council is intending to bring down their much awaited changes
to Infrastructure charges before they go into recess on Friday, with a report
proposed to planning committee on Wednesday. Given the well-publicised
difficulty they have been experiencing in working out the details (the
announcement has been deferred more than once), it is likely to not give
everything the industry would like but, notwithstanding, anything that
facilitates getting projects up and running quickly is great for our industry.
We believe the changes should also be positive for our community and charitable
sector clients and colleagues.
The other key issues are occurring in State Government with the premier announcing this morning that tomorrow’s budget will have significant assistance to the industry. Also amendments to the planning act provisions are also scheduled to be tabled on the floor of parliament tomorrow. We heard from the special minister for planning reform, Ian Walker, recently with a group of Gold Coast planners and architects, that the amendments would be very targeted towards getting State referral issues distilled to a singular State referral agency response and that new dispute resolution measures may be involved – all helpful. (More significant amendments to the planning act are due to go to Parliament in February 2013, which will deal with infrastructure charging and the expediting of Council assessment.)
Keep in touch with local and Brisbane media this week to pick up on these significant changes that will hopefully see the green shoots start to grow and see our industry up and working again.
Our next post will give a snapshot on the implications of these changes
Wednesday August 22, 2012 - Working From Home or Thinking of Doing So?
Grummitt Planning has had an article published in the E-magazine of www.theartofhomebasedbusiness.com regarding working from home and how it relates to planning approvals. The article is as follows;
Did you know that you may be required to obtain approvals from your local Council?
Why?
Councils are concerned about the impact of home based businesses upon the amenity of residential areas and place limits upon the scale and operations of home businesses, particularly in regard to hours of operation, staff numbers and additional visitor traffic.
How can I find out what these limitations may be?
Most Council's publish user guides for home businesses on their websites or provide them at their town planning enquiry counters. Whilst many small-scale, low-impact activities, may not require applications for approval it is always recommended that professional advice be sought.
What do I do if I need to make an application to Council?
If the scale or type of activity or service requires the lodgement of a development application, or the process is unclear, it is recommended that you speak with a professional town planning consultant and engage their services.
What happens If I don't have, or don't get, the necessary development approvals?
It is possible that nothing may happen and you can continue to operate uninhibited. However if your local Council receives a complaint that you are operating without an approval, they just investigate the complaint and will issue a breach notice that you are operating unlawfully in that you do not have a development approval to carry out your activity. (Such complaints will usually come from a neighbour, a competitor or a disgruntled employee).
What happens if I receive a breach notice?
You will usually have three options:1. Cease and desist the activity;2. Make application to Council to gain approval for the activity;3. Do nothing and risk being required to have to go to Court and/or pay a large fine.
If you decide to make an application, it is strongly recommended that you speak with a professional Town Planning Consultant and engage their services.
Noel Grummitt
Grummitt Planning
Principal
Wednesday August 22, 2012 - What Ever Happened to Our Social Infrastructure?
Last year at the Planning Institute of Australia, Noel Grummitt, Principal of Grummitt Planning made a highly relevant presentation on social infrastructure. To see the synopsis of this presentation you can follow this link to the PIA website;
Monday August 21, 2012 - Property Investing; what you do you need to know?
Recently an article was published on propertyinvesting.com which outlined some essential issues in regards to property investing and town planning. To see the report follow this link or read below;
Buying Investment
Property?
Some research data published recently by Property Councilof Australia indicated that the most significant current activity in the commercial/ retail and industrial sector of property sales was in the $2 to $5 million price range.
Activity in this sector was being driven by self-managed superannuation funds and consortia of individuals.
Do you know what
Town Planning Approvals apply?
This investment sector is generally not resourced with experienced property lawyers and consultants and a recent enquiry we received highlighted the traps that this can cause.
A client with an industrial property that had been vacant for some time took on a new tenant on a 3 year lease. Not long afterwards they received a town planning breach notice from the local Council that may mean them having to close and the owner losing a key tenant thus rendering his investment significantly compromised.
This is an all-too-frequent occurrence.
A similar situation can arise with someone purchasing a property with existing tenants without realising that the existing tenant may not be operating lawfully under the relevant town planning scheme.
What information
should I look for?
It is always important that the correct searches are undertaken to ensure that approvals are in place for the activities being undertaken or proposed for the property.
It is imperative that investors request that their lawyers get the correct level of search to be satisfied that existing uses are lawfully established. At the least, this should provide copies of town planning approvals and the conditions related to those approvals.
If compliance is critical to the investment, it may be necessary to have a compliance check to ensure that conditions of approval have been complied with.
If there is any doubt, they should engage their preferred town planning consultant to check the certificate and the town planning scheme to safeguard their investments.
If the investor does not have their own town planning advisors, our staff can provide that advice for properties located in Queensland or northern New South Wales, the area in which we operate.
Noel Grummitt has more than 35 years’ experience in the development industry and is qualified in civil engineering and town planning. He is principal of Grummitt Planning, a town planning consultancy on the Gold Coast and Ipswich. The company has provided town planning advice to the full range of property investors and developers and represent many organisations in the charitable sector locally and overseas through Buy1Give1.
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