To get the most out of the meeting we recommend that you thoroughly research the issues and constraints that apply to the land and the planning controls that apply to the development.
The constraints that apply to a land parcel can be viewed using Council’s mapping tool.
For information relating to planning controls that apply to development in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area, please see our planning controls and guidelines information and policy information.
To complete your booking, you'll need:
- concept plans or preliminary designs
- outline of the issues you wish to discuss with the Committee
- names of people attending (including their role and/or qualifications). You can have up to 4 people attend the meeting (including yourself). If you have engaged a planning consultant, it is recommended that they attend this meeting.
Our officers from relevant departments will attend depending on the nature of the development proposal.
Pre-DA lodgement meetings are held each Tuesday or Thursday at 10 am and run for 1 hour.
Book your pre-lodgement meeting online
Once you have requested a meeting, we will determine whether your development proposal is suitable for a pre-DA lodgement meeting. Whether your meeting request will be accepted is dependent on the nature of your proposal and the availability of relevant professional officers.
You'll be asked to begin the meeting by providing a short overview (no more than 15 minutes) of your proposed development. Our officers will than ask questions and provide general advice.
Advice provided at the pre-lodgement meeting is preliminary in nature and intended to assist with the preparation of a formal application. Our officers do not undertake an inspection of the site or undertake a detailed assessment of the proposed development prior to the meeting.
Comments provided by our officers are current at the time of the meeting and are subject to change due to changes to legislative/planning controls. Comments are made in good faith and are provided in response to information supplied by the customer to us. The advice should not be regarded as a commitment to the likely outcome of a development application.
Following lodgement of an application a detailed assessment, in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and associated Regulation will be undertaken. Following such an assessment additional matters, not discussed at the meeting, may be raised as part of the assessment process that will require resolution. As a result of a detailed assessment, we may also determine that a proposed development cannot be supported.
Some developments also require approvals under legislation administered by other government authorities such as the NSW Rural Fire Service and the NSW Natural Resources Access Regulator. Our officers cannot provide specific advice in relation to the requirements of these authorities and separate contact should be made with these authorities before lodging your application.
Please note that we take summary notes at these meetings. These notes are for our record keeping purposes only and are not intended to constitute formal minutes of the meeting.