Application for works on community leased and licensed premises

Before making any changes or undertaking works (other than ordinary maintenance) at your community leased/licensed premises, you must obtain Brisbane City Council approval, as landlord. This includes minor changes such as tree trimming or moving soil.

Find out more about:

works requiring Council approval
application process
fees
how to apply
how to save your application
common application problems
other required approvals (including land owner's content)
further information for specific types of projects.

Works requiring Council approval

Works requiring written approval from Council include:

closed-circuit television (CCTV)
fencing
moving soil, filling/earthworks, drainage
new building work or extensions/refurbishments to existing building/s (including re-painting)
new lighting or replacement of existing lighting, including sports field/court lighting
new or refurbishment of sports fields/courts
play equipment
signage requiring a licence, or the installation of sign infrastructure
sports field irrigation/bores
tree or vegetation works
water tanks.

Work must not commence until Council provides written consent as landlord, and in certain cases, any other required approvals from Council as local authority are obtained.

Unapproved works (other than ordinary maintenance) undertaken on community leased/licensed premises without prior Council consent are considered to be a major breach of your tenure agreement.

Events and festivals

Do not complete an application for works if you are proposing to hold an event or festival on a community leased/licensed site.

For events and festivals, contact Council's Festival and Events Liaison Officer on 133 BNE (133 263) for specific advice, regardless of the number of people expected to attend the event. This officer will coordinate Council's assessment of your proposal and will advise if an entertainment event permit is required.

Visit out Event and festival planning and management page to learn more.

Approval from head tenant

If you are not the head tenant of the leased premises (you are a sub user), you must first obtain approval from the head tenant before applying to undertake works on the premises. As part of your application, you will need to attach a letter of support from the head tenant, on their official letterhead, advising Council the application is supported.

The letter of support should include details of the project and proposed scope of works.

Application process

Upon receipt of your application, we'll consult with the local Councillor about the works and any relevant Council work units. This process (assessment and response) can take up to 20 business days from receipt of a complete application that is classified as a a simple application for works. Applications that are considered complex may take longer to assess. Council will advise you of the expected timeframe for response throughout the process.

During peak periods (e.g. when grant funding becomes available), it may take longer to obtain Council approval. If you intend on applying for funding to deliver your project, make sure you submit your application for works well in advance of the grant application closing date.

To apply for Council approval, log on to the Community Leasing Information Portal and complete the online form.

Before you submit your application, make sure you:

have followed the how to apply steps outlined below
have read the common application problems information to ensure your application meets Council's requirements and does not hold up the approval process.

Fees

There are no fees for this application.

How to apply

Step 1 - pre-application checks

Discuss your project with Council to identify any site constraints you may need to consider when planning your project, and to seek advice on your proposal. If your project includes master planning, or new buildings/fields/courts/lights, it is essential you discuss your proposal with an officer from the outset.
Check your current condition audit to see if there are maintenance works your organisation should be undertaking prior to introducing new works.
If you are applying for a grant to fund this work, submit your application for works well in advance of submitting a grant application to Council or other organisations.
Decide if your proposal is only for minor works (e.g. tree trimming), or if it requires more detailed project planning. For minor works, proceed to step 3.

Step 2 - planning your project

Project planning is a critical part of project management and will ensure your project runs smoothly and achieves your desired outcomes in the required timeframe.

You should consider the matters outlined in the following table as part of your project planning.

This table contains considerations for the project planning phase of works on a community lease site.
Project	What are the specific goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines that define the work? What is the need for the project and what will it deliver in terms of outcomes (e.g ability to accommodation more participants, improve operations, or deliver new activities for the community)? Have you consulted with your members and surrounding community about the works? Have you consulted with Council about the works?
Scope of works	What is the scope of works? (Scope of works should detail the entire project and include consideration of building works (building regulations, standards, approvals), utilities, services, and any other environmental factors.)
Existing plans	Are there any strategic, facility/asset management plans or condition audits for the premises that should be referred to and considered in the planning process. (Ideally your organisation will have such plans in place and a copy of your latest audit to refer to.)
Other approvals	What other approvals will the project require? (e.g. building approval, advertising sign licence) Note - consider all approvals the project requires and ensure you allow for these when planning your project timeframes and costings.
Plans, drawings, designs	Consider what plans, drawings and sketch designs, including site plans and existing and proposed floor plans for building work, will be required. A site plan should detail the location or positioning of the change/upgrade/new infrastructure relative to the site boundaries and other existing infrastructure. A sketch design (if appropriate) should enable Council to clearly understand what you plan to construct, including the dimensions and main features of the works. A professional draftsperson or qualified designer is recommended for large or complex projects.
Project plan	Develop a project plan that details the scope of works, deliverables, tasks, timeframes, resources, and any other key information. Your plan should define your approach and the process you will use to manage the project.
Budget, funding and resources	Develop an estimated project budget including items such as design and site costs, construction and demolition costs, approval fees, fit-out and contingencies. Do you have the funds available or confirmed by a funding body to undertake the works, or are you needing to apply for funding? If you need to apply for funding, consider the application and outcome notification timeframes and your contingency plan if you are unsuccessful. Do you have adequately skilled human resources to successfully plan, manage and deliver the project? Do not proceed until you have negotiated adequate human resources, including a project manager.

Step 3 - supporting documents

Prepare the attachments required for your online application as Word, PDF or JPG files.

If you don't provide all the required attachments, your application will be deemed to be incomplete and delays in processing may occur. The assessment team needs all the necessary information to process your application.

Required attachments may include:

Aerial photo	You can use Council's interactive mapping or other online mapping tools to create this plan. Mark-ups on the aerial photo can be hand-drawn. As a minimum, the plan needs to show and be clearly labelled with: all existing structures and the location of proposed works the location of any trees/vegetation impacted by the project.
Quotes	If you have any quotes for the project, attach them to your application.
Plans of proposal	Provide plans for the proposal, particularly if you are proposing new building work, extending an existing building, undertaking filling or earthworks, making internal building changes or installing sports field irrigation.
For sub tenants	Provide a letter from the head tenant (on their official letterhead) detailing their support for your proposed project, including the scope of the works agreed to.
Lighting projects	For lighting projects, there can be two application types: concept plan for 'in principle' support (i.e. for the stage of applying for a grant) final plans including full certification of compliance of the design and works to meet all applicable Australian Standards and Codes.

Step 4 - apply to undertake works on a community leased/licensed premises

Log into the Community Leasing Information Portal and complete the online application, including your supporting documents.

If you are experiencing difficulty accessing or using this form, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

How to save your application

The Application for works on a community lease site online form can be saved for up to 90 days.

Each time you save the form you will be advised of the new expiry date and time of the saved form.

Common application problems

Find out about common problems that can lead to a delay with the processing of an application for works on a community leased/licensed site.

Insufficient information

Often applications contain insufficent information to assess a proposal, including:

poor project details
inadequate plans
incomplete application form
little or no supporting information
conflicting reports and plans.

An application for works may be refused or delayed if required information is inadequate or insufficient.

Poor quality plans

The type of plans you need to submit will depend on your proposal. For example, minor works may only required an in-house plan. More complex projects will require plans prepared by qualified design consultants.

Good quality plans include all dimensions, building/structure height/s, boundary setbacks and include all relevant details such as natural features, proposed development, elevations, floor plans (if applicable), location of car parks, and any other relevant information.

Unacceptable impacts

You need to ensure your proposed development does not result in unacceptable impacts on the surrounding area. Your application must show evidence of minimising, as far as practicable, hazards and impacts created by the proposed works.

Unsatisfactory impacts may include:

loss of protected vegetation
inability to adequately handle stormwater discharge
poor quality design leading to excessive impacts such as noise, overshadowing, or reduced access to sunlight.

If you project is an impact assessment development, it will need to undergo public notification. Delays can occur when public submissions are received raising concerns about your development.

Prior to lodging your application, you may wish to discuss your proposed development with your neighbours and other potentially impacted parties. By doing this, you:

let people know of your intentions
can consider any concerns your neighbours have about the proposal.

If your proposal could potentially impact on neighbours, you may wish to seek a letter of support from them to support your application.

Other required approvals

As well as Council's approval as landlord, you may need other approvals from Council as local authority for your project, including:

Council will advise you about any other requirements when you are advised about the outcome of your application for works on a community lease site.

Where applicable you may also need to engage a town planner regarding development approval and a private building certifier to obtain building approval.

Land owner's consent

Once you have obtained Council approval as landlord, you may also need to obtain land owner's consent from Council.

Land owner's consent is required as part of lodging a development application. It is also needed if you are submitting a request to Urban Utilities for new water connections or applying to the Queensland Government for a heritage exemption certificate.

If you require Council's consent as land owner, complete the relevant form (e.g. DA Form 1) and send it to Council for processing.

Further information for specific types of projects

Find more information for specific types of projects, works, or site conditions:

More information

For more advice on works that require approval, planning your project, preparing a works application and obtaining approval:

log on to the Community Leasing Information Portal
phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

Once you have obtained written approval for works from Council, as landlord, you can:

proceed with your project (if no other approvals are required), or
proceed to the next step (e.g. get advice regarding the development approval process).