This service provides general planning information under City Plan, as well as advice pertaining to a liquor licence.
We aim to provide written advice within 10 working days of fee payment.
Request planning advice
Council provides assistance with planning enquiries. Find ways to gain advice about planning and development in Brisbane.
Need advice on whether you need planning approval? Or what information you’ll need to provide with your development application?
Council can provide assistance with your planning enquiries. You can:
- call Council on 07 3403 8888 for general enquiries
- talk to a planning officer or a planner
- request a prelodgement meeting
- request a prelodgement package that focuses on design or traffic and transport
- get technical advice
- request pre-assessment of a technical report.
Planning advice is available over the phone, in person and in writing.
Talk to a Planning Information Officer
Are you new to the development assessment process? Don’t know where to begin?
Council has dedicated Planning Information Officers who can answer simple questions and provide general advice about your development intentions, including:
- if you need a development application
- how the development process works
- information you’ll need to provide with your application
- related fees.
Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 and ask to speak to a Planning Information Officer.
Attend a Talk to a Planner session
Do you have specific questions about your site or your building project?
Speak to Council’s urban planners at a Talk to a Planner event.
You can book a 15-minute consultation with a planning specialist to ask about:
- how Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan) relates to your site and your building plans
- the development application process
- related costs.
Talk to a Planner events are free and take place all year round.
Get prelodgement advice
Council offers a range of prelodgement services to provide advice prior to lodgement of a development application. We offer technical advice on a range of areas.
Prelodgement advice is available:
- in person at Brisbane Square (Level 1/266 George Street, Brisbane) or onsite
- online in virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams
- in a combination of virtual and face-to-face meetings
- in writing.
Prelodgement services
The preliminary discussion service provides an opportunity to meet virtually for:
- an initial discussion about a site and/or proposal to discuss legislative requirements
- any site constraints relating to a property and proposed development
- providing recommendations about how to tailor prelodgement services for a proposed development.
Important things to know
This service is recommended for customers seeking feedback and/or guidance before lodging a development application. You can request a preliminary discussion in the very early stages of a development’s design and planning through until immediately befoew application lodgement.
You don’t need to submit any plans or documents for this service. This is an opportunity to present your proposal to Council and provide any insights to help in obtaining initial feedback and advice. Up to 3 matters for discussion can be nominated.
As part of this meeting, Council may recommend further prelodgement services to facilitate the preparation of a well-made application and assist in streamlining the development assessment process.
A preliminary discussion must precede the following prelodgement services:
- request for urban design advice
- prelodgement package
Only verbal advice is provided. You’re welcome to take notes during the meeting. A copy of any plans can be provided post meeting as part of Council’s records.
Council aims to meet with customers within 5 working days of fee payment and will provide an email response following the meeting.
This service provides advice to customers considering changing a development approval in accordance with section 81 and section 82 of the Planning Act 2016.
Important things to know
Only verbal advice is provided for this service. You are welcome to take notes during the meeting. A copy of any plans can be provided post meeting as part of Council’s records.
Council aims to meet with customers within 10 working days of fee payment and will provide an email response following the meeting.
This service is customer driven. It provides an opportunity for you to identify issues and seek advice about a site, proposed development, and/or proposed changes to a current approval before lodging a development application or change application.
This meeting can be requested onsite, subject to an additional fee and officer availability.
Important things to know
This service is not suitable for:
-
general enquiries (contact the Planning Information Office via 07 3403 8888)
-
a proposal involving demolition of any component of a building constructed in 1946 or earlier or within the Heritage overlay
-
development on places listed in the Queensland Heritage Register.
You can upload a concept or detailed plan as a Word, PDF or JPG file.
Council aims to meet with customers within 15 working days from fee payment and will provide written advice following the meeting.
This service is for customers looking to purchase a property and seeking general advice about legislative requirements and/or any site constraints relating to a property that may impact on a proposed development.
These meetings are only available for legitimate pre-purchase or pre-lease enquiries (i.e. in due diligence stage and not fully committed to the site or development proposal).
Important things to know
The pre-purchase meeting service is inclusive of traffic and transport advice (if selected) for no additional fee.
A concept or detailed plan can be uploaded as a Word, PDF or JPG file.
Council aims to meet with customers within 10 working days of fee payment and will provide written advice following the meeting.
Prelodgement packages can be design-focused or traffic-focused. You can choose one of the following packages or tailor your own package to facilitate advice about a proposed development.
Design-focused package
This provides advice to assist customers in optimising the planning, urban design, built form, public realm, and landscaping outcomes of a proposal.
It also provides advice about aligning the development proposal with Council’s New World City Design Guide - Buildings that Breathe.
The design focused package includes 3 prelodgement meetings with Council officers and members of the Independent Design Advisory Panel (IDAP). Feedback and recommendations about design will be provided about the development proposal.
Traffic and transport package
This is designed for sites and proposals that have significant transport and traffic impacts.
The traffic and transport package includes:
- traffic and transport advice
- pre-assessment of a transport impact assessment report.
This service is aimed at exploring customer-identified technical matters specific to a development proposal. It assists in guiding the preparation of detailed plans to address or manage technical matters (i.e. hydraulic constraints).
Important things to know
This service assists in ensuring that specialist reports contain sufficient information to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of that technical matter when a development application is lodged.
The service is available for the following technical reports:
- air quality impact report
- bushfire hazard assessment report
- ecological assessment report
- flood study
- noise impact assessment report
- site-based stormwater management plan
- transport impact assessment report.
Council aims to provide this service within 10 working days of fee payment.
This service provides advice about any potentially significant transport and traffic impacts relevant to:
- Council controlled infrastructure
- any dedications or road widenings
- on-site operational requirements
- streetscape hierarchy requirements.
Important things to know
This is a stand-alone service requested in addition to other prelodgement services. It's no longer provided as part of other pre-lodgement services, except for a pre-purchase meeting.
When requesting this advice, you must provide a plan showing all site access points and onsite manoeuvring areas. Both existing and proposed.
Our advice will generally cover:
- existing transport assets
- proposed transport assets
- road widening requirements
- potential land requirements
- transport network aspects of development
- requirements for trunk or non-trunk transport infrastructure
- future roads Council may require.
Council aims to provide traffic and transport advice within 15 working days of fee payment.
This service is for proposals that may trigger the Significant Projects criteria under Schedule 10, Part 18 of the Planning Regulation 2017.
You can obtain written urban design advice from Council’s Independent Design Advisory Panel (IDAP), which helps you avoid a referral to State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) at the development application stage.
Important things to know
The purpose of this advice is to optimise planning, urban design, built form and public realm outcomes at the very early stages of a project.
You must present your development proposal to 3 members of IDAP. Written urban design advice is provided following the presentation. This advice is included in common material submitted with a project development application.
Council aims to facilitate the IDAP presentation within 15 business days of fee payment.
To help you prepare for this presentation, you must have a prelodgement preliminary discussion before requesting this service.
This service confirms if your development application can be fast-tracked.
When requesting this service, you must submit detailed plans and demonstrate performance outcomes.
Council aims to provide written advice on eligibility within 5 working days of fee payment.
If your proposal requires assessment of a technical report, a separate request for prelodgement pre-assessment of technical reports is required.
This service identifies potential issues before the formal lodgement of a plan sealing request.
To streamline the formal plan sealing review process, you can request advice on matters such as:
- compliance with conditions
- condition clarification
- documentation requirements
- any questions in relation to the endorsement of a standard/building/volumetric survey plan.
Important things to know
The plan sealing prelodgement service is not suitable for requests or enquiries regarding changes to a development approval.
Depending on the complexity of the matters involved, Council will determine if a written response is sufficient, or if a meeting is required.
The service recognises tight timeframes during the final stages of delivering a development and the importance of receiving a sealed plan as quickly as possible. We aim to provide either a written response or a meeting within 15 working days of fee payment.
Where a written response is sufficient, this will be emailed directly. Meetings are facilitated by Council’s Building and Construction Management Team, with involvement from relevant Council specialists, to ensure high quality advice is provided.
You can request the plan sealing prelodgement service using the online plan sealing request form.
To request any of these services, complete the Development Services Enquiry Form.
Council’s prelodgement services don’t offer advice on:
- general enquiries not related to a development proposal. For these enquiries, call 07 3403 8888 to speak with a Planning Information Officer.
- proposals involving the full demolition and/or the complete removal of a building constructed in 1946 or earlier. Visit heritage and charcter properties to learn more.
- proposals involving the full demolition of a building/structure within the heritage overlay in City Plan or a building integrated into the heritage citation. Visit heritage and charcter properties to learn more.
- a site listed in the Queensland Heritage Register. For enquiries about a Queensland heritage place, phone 13 QGOV (13 74 68).
- the date a building was constructed. Visit heritage and character properties for advice on how to determine the date of construction.
- assessable demolition for a building constructed in 1946 or earlier, or a heritage-listed place. Visit heritage and charcter properties to learn more.
- a change to an approval granted by the Planning and Environmental Court. Visit the Planning and Environmental Court for information.
- water and sewer enquiries. You’ll need to contact Urban Utilities.
- estimates of infrastructure charges. Visit infrastructure charges to learn more.
