How to access development assessment information and tools

Brisbane City Council provides a number of channels to help customers access development assessment information and advice. These include Council’s website and Contact Centre, 133 BNE business hotline, Talk to a Planner sessions, prelodgement advice and requests for written information. This fact sheet outlines the information available through these channels. 

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Council’s website

You can find planning rules, laws and regulations for property development in Brisbane’s planning scheme, Brisbane City Plan 2014 (City Plan), by visiting Council's website and clicking on the ‘Planning & building’ tab. The tools available in this section are listed below.

Interactive mapping

You can use the Interactive Mapping search tool to view development requirements for any site in Brisbane. Simply enter the property address to reveal the characteristics of the property including zones, overlays and neighbourhood plans. These characteristics guide how development on that property is assessed in City Plan.

Telephone

The Planning Information Office is a team of dedicated town planners that can answer simple questions about your development intentions over the phone, including:

Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 from 9am-4pm Monday to Friday and ask to speak to a town planner.

Business hotline - 133 BNE (133 263)

Brisbane City Council is committed to supporting small businesses and making it easy to do business in Brisbane. 133 BNE (133 263) is Council’s dedicated business hotline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Talk to a Planner sessions

Council holds a series of face-to-face sessions to help residents, business owners, community groups and industry professionals understand City Plan and how it relates to their property or proposed development. For dates and locations, visit Talk to a Planner.

A range of specialists are available at these sessions to answer your questions including urban planners, engineers, architects, ecologists, traffic specialists, compliance and regulatory services officers and parks and heritage specialists.

Prelodgement advice

The prelodgement meeting service is an opportunity for customers to seek advice from Council about a site, proposed development, and/or proposed changes to a current approval prior to the lodgement of a development application or change application. This meeting service is customer driven in that issues / matters are identified by the customer for Council to provide feedback on. 

This service is not suitable for:

  • general enquiries (please contact the Planning Information Office via 3403 8888 for general planning enquiries); 
  • a proposal involving demolition of any component of a building constructed in 1946 or earlier or within the Heritage overlay; or
  • Development on places listed in the Queensland Heritage Register.

The easiest way to request a prelodgement meeting is to complete the Development Services online enquiry form. You must upload a concept or detailed plan as a Word, PDF or JPG file.

Council will aim to meet within 15 working days from fee payment. 

Request for written information

The request for written information service facilitates the provision of general planning information in writing. To submit a request for written information, please complete the Development Services online enquiry form.

Council will aim to provide written advice within 10 working days of fee payment.

Further information

For more information about City Plan and to access the interactive mapping tool, visit Council's website and search for Brisbane City Plan 2014 or call Council on 07 3403 8888.

To stay informed about the City Plan, including proposed amendments and to receive other Council planning and development updates, you can register your interest.

Disclaimer: The content of this information sheet is a summary and has been prepared to assist the reader to understand the City Plan. Please refer to the full City Plan document, entitled Brisbane City Plan 2014, on Council’s website for further detail.

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