A pre-lodgement meeting is a discussion with your local council before you lodge a Development Application. It helps you identify planning risks, required reports, design issues and likely approval conditions before you spend heavily on plans and consultant work. For simple projects, a quick call or duty-planner discussion may be enough. For anything involving unclear controls, a proposed variation, heritage, flooding, bushfire, stormwater, difficult access, noise or neighbour impacts, a formal pre-DA meeting can save weeks — and thousands of dollars.

What is a pre-lodgement meeting?

A pre-lodgement meeting is an opportunity to discuss a proposed development with council officers before formally submitting a DA. It is not an approval, not a guarantee that council will support your project, and not a substitute for a properly prepared Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) or specialist reports.

Instead, it is an early planning checkpoint. You present enough information for council to understand the proposal, and council provides preliminary feedback on:

• The likely planning pathway (DA, CDC, modification, review, etc.)
• Applicable LEP, DCP and state planning controls
• Major site constraints
• Key design concerns
• Required plans and reports
• Likely internal and agency referrals
• Community or neighbour issues
• Questions that must be resolved before lodgement

NSW planning guidance describes pre-lodgement as the front end of the assessment process. Getting this stage right does not guarantee consent, but lodging an assessment-ready application makes the DA process significantly more efficient.

Why a pre-lodgement meeting matters

Most costly DA problems are discovered too late. A homeowner may commission full architectural plans, only to learn the site is flood affected. A developer may pay for a detailed design before finding out that heritage approval, a traffic report or a Clause 4.6 variation is needed. A business owner may sign a lease without realising the proposed use requires acoustic modelling, waste changes, a fire-safety upgrade or restricted operating hours.

A good meeting can help you:

• Confirm whether you need a DA, CDC or another approval pathway (see the CDC vs DA comparison)
• Check whether the proposal is permissible in the zone
• Identify relevant planning controls early
• Find out whether a Clause 4.6 variation may be required
• Clarify heritage, flooding, bushfire, contamination or tree constraints
• Confirm likely technical reports and consultant requirements
• Test whether council is comfortable with your core design direction
• Understand likely neighbour concerns
• Reduce the risk of Requests for Information after lodgement
• Avoid paying for unnecessary reports
• Make a more realistic decision about project costs, timing and feasibility

When to book a formal pre-DA meeting

Not every project needs a formal pre-DA meeting. For a minor and clearly compliant project, your council's duty planner, customer service team or online advice service may provide enough information. A formal meeting is usually worthwhile when the proposal has one or more material risks.

Book a formal meeting if any of the following applies:

• You want to vary an LEP development standard (height, FSR or minimum lot size)
• Your site is heritage-listed, within a conservation area or near a heritage item
• The site is flood-prone, bushfire-prone, contaminated or steeply sloping
• You are proposing a dual occupancy, subdivision, secondary dwelling, boarding house, childcare centre, restaurant, bar, medical use or other potentially sensitive use
• There are difficult access, parking, stormwater or servicing issues
• Your proposal may affect mature trees, a watercourse, biodiversity or public land
• You expect privacy, overshadowing, visual bulk, noise or traffic objections
• You are changing the use of an existing commercial or industrial building
• A previous DA was refused or withdrawn
• The planning controls are unclear or appear to conflict
• You are investing enough money that early risk reduction is worthwhile

When a simple enquiry may be enough

You may not need a formal (paid) meeting if you are only checking a basic point, such as:

• Whether a pergola needs consent
• Whether your project may qualify as complying development
• Which zoning applies to a property
• Where to find your LEP map
• Whether a basic minor alteration is exempt development
• Which council form to use

Many councils offer general counter, telephone or online planning advice for straightforward enquiries. Formal meetings are better used for decisions that could change the design, approval strategy or project budget.

What a pre-lodgement meeting is not

Manage your expectations carefully. A pre-lodgement meeting is not:

• A DA approval
• A guarantee that council will support the final design
• A formal legal interpretation of every planning control
• A replacement for a town planner, architect, certifier or specialist consultant
• Permission to start building work
• A way to avoid neighbour notification
• A substitute for formal agency approvals

Council's views may change when it receives final plans, technical reports, submissions from neighbours, internal referrals or advice from state agencies. The proposal considered at the meeting may also be different from the proposal eventually lodged. Treat the meeting as risk-reduction and evidence-gathering — not a promise of approval.

How much does a pre-lodgement meeting cost?

Costs vary by council and complexity. Some councils offer free general advice, while formal written pre-lodgement meetings may charge a fee based on the scale of development or the officer time required. Your broader budget should also account for the preparation work — preliminary design plans, site survey, planning review, town-planning advice, concept stormwater, heritage or tree advice, and a pre-DA briefing document.

For a simple residential project, preparation may be modest. For a complex site, spending money early on a good pre-DA package can prevent much larger redesign, consultant and delay costs later. For the wider fee picture, see our DA cost guide.

How to prepare — the 9-step playbook

The quality of the advice you receive depends heavily on the quality of information you provide. Council cannot give useful feedback if your proposal is vague. “I want to build something bigger” is not enough. You need a clear concept, basic site information and focused questions.

Step 1 — Define the proposal clearly

Before you contact council, write a short plain-English project summary. Include the property address and lot/DP details, existing and proposed use, dwelling/lot/patron numbers, proposed height and storeys, approximate floor area, parking and access, operating hours (for commercial uses), whether demolition, signage, trees or excavation are involved, your preferred approval pathway, and the specific decisions you need council to clarify.

Step 2 — Check your basic planning controls

Before the meeting, identify the controls most likely to apply. At a minimum, check:

• Zoning and land-use permissibility
• Height of buildings, FSR and minimum lot size
• Heritage listing or conservation area status
• Flood-prone, bushfire-prone and acid sulfate soil mapping
• Biodiversity, riparian corridors and coastal hazards
• Road widening, land acquisition or infrastructure reservations
• Local DCP controls and relevant SEPPs

A planning certificate lists planning instruments that apply to the land, while the NSW Planning Portal property report provides a general overview. Do not assume the zoning is the whole answer — a use may be prohibited in the zone but permitted as an additional permitted use under an LEP schedule, or generally permitted but constrained by heritage, flooding, access or contamination.

Step 3 — Obtain a site survey

A current survey is one of the most useful documents for a pre-lodgement meeting. It should show boundaries and dimensions, existing buildings and structures, ground levels and contours, trees, easements and restrictions, driveways and access, kerbs and footpaths, stormwater drainage points, and nearby structures where visible. Without a survey, designers may base concept plans on inaccurate assumptions — leading to incorrect setbacks, height calculations, drainage solutions and shadow studies.

Step 4 — Prepare concept plans

You do not usually need construction-ready plans for a pre-lodgement meeting. But you do need enough information for council to understand the form, scale and impacts of the proposal. A concept package should normally include a site plan, floor plans, elevations, building sections, a preliminary landscape concept, proposed setbacks and building height, existing and proposed floor areas, parking and access layout, a preliminary stormwater concept, and — where relevant — photomontages, streetscape elevations and shadow diagrams.

For commercial or operational uses, add a floor layout and seating plan, patron or staff numbers, trading hours, waste storage and collection arrangements, deliveries, outdoor areas, noise sources, signage concept and security and management measures.

Step 5 — Prepare a site analysis

A site analysis explains how your land relates to its surroundings. NSW guidance identifies site analysis as a key part of good design because it captures sun, trees, neighbouring buildings, streetscape, privacy, overshadowing, slope, drainage and other features that affect development capacity. Your site analysis should identify the north point and solar orientation, existing shadows, neighbouring windows, balconies and private open space, site slope, significant trees, existing built form, key views, drainage paths, vehicle and pedestrian access, noise sources, heritage features and any mapped hazards.

This step is especially important because it shifts the discussion from “What do I want to build?” to “What can this site reasonably support?”

Step 6 — Identify your key risks

Do not ask council to review every possible issue. Focus the meeting on the items that could change the project.

Step 7 — Prepare focused questions

The best pre-lodgement meetings are not presentations. They are structured conversations designed to get answers to questions only council can answer.

Good questions to ask

• Does council agree that the proposed use is permissible under the LEP?
• Which DCP controls are likely to be decisive for this proposal?
• Does council agree with the height, FSR or setback calculation?
• Is a Clause 4.6 variation required, and are there any exclusions that would prevent one?
• Which neighbours or sensitive receivers should be addressed in shadow, privacy or acoustic studies?
• Does council expect a heritage, flood, bushfire, contamination, traffic, arborist or acoustic report?
• Are any agency referrals likely to be triggered?
• Does council recommend a design change before full documentation begins?
• What documentation must be submitted at lodgement?
• Is there a preferred format for the SEE, Plan of Management or supporting reports?
• Are there known local issues or recently adopted policies that should be addressed?

Questions to avoid

• “Will council approve this?”
• “Can you tell us every condition that will apply?”
• “Can we ignore the DCP because the neighbours support it?”
• “Will you guarantee no objections?”
• “Can you approve our variation now?”

Instead, ask what evidence, design response or information would be needed to make the application capable of support.

Step 8 — Bring the right people

For a simple project, the owner and designer may be enough. For more complex proposals, bring the professionals who can explain and respond to the key issues — architect or building designer, town planner, surveyor, heritage consultant, acoustic consultant, traffic engineer, civil or stormwater engineer, arborist, bushfire consultant, BCA/fire-safety consultant, access consultant, project manager and the owner (or authorised representative). A smaller, well-prepared team usually makes for a more productive meeting than a large group without clear roles.

Step 9 — Send documents early

Many councils require documents to be submitted before the meeting. Follow the stated process and deadline. A practical pre-lodgement package may include a cover letter, proposal summary, site survey, site analysis, concept plans, elevations and sections, shadow diagrams (if relevant), a preliminary planning assessment, a compliance table, list of key questions, photos of the site and street, preliminary consultant advice, and prior DA history if relevant.

Make the package easy to read. Clearly label the site, north point, proposed works and key dimensions. Do not bury the important questions inside a long report.

What happens during the meeting?

Most meetings run for 30–90 minutes depending on the council and project complexity. A productive meeting usually follows this structure:

1. Introduce the site and proposal — concise overview of the existing site, proposed development and project objectives.
2. Confirm the planning pathway — DA, CDC, modification, review, heritage approval or another process.
3. Discuss major constraints — zoning, heritage, flooding, trees, access, neighbour impacts and key controls.
4. Work through key questions — focus on matters that need council direction.
5. Confirm documentation expectations — reports, plans, referrals and required level of detail.
6. Discuss design changes or fallback options — identify options that may reduce risk.
7. Confirm next steps — who provides minutes, what must be revised and what evidence is required before lodgement.

Take detailed notes. If council provides written advice or meeting minutes, keep them with your DA records.

How to use council feedback

Do not treat the meeting as a box-ticking exercise. Use the feedback to improve the project before lodging. After the meeting: circulate the notes to your project team; separate feedback into design changes, reports, approvals, documents and open questions; update the concept plans; obtain any recommended specialist advice; decide whether the commercial or design trade-offs are acceptable; prepare the SEE around the issues raised; and confirm that every meeting action has been addressed before lodgement.

A good approach is to create a Pre-DA Action Register:

This is one of the easiest ways to reduce omissions and avoid post-lodgement Requests for Information — see the wider process in our DA lodgement guide.

Common mistakes to avoid

Going in with vague plans

Council cannot give meaningful feedback if the proposal has no clear height, scale, layout, access or operational information.

Booking too late

If you have already commissioned final plans and reports, you may have limited ability to act on council feedback. Book after a credible concept design exists — but before the design is fixed.

Treating verbal advice as approval

Pre-DA advice is preliminary. Final assessment under Section 4.15 of the EP&A Act depends on the lodged plans, reports, public submissions, referrals and formal assessment.

Ignoring the difficult issues

Do not avoid discussing a likely variation, heritage impact, flood risk or neighbour concern. Those issues will not disappear at lodgement.

Failing to document feedback

Write down what council said, who said it and what was agreed. If written minutes are not provided, send a polite follow-up email summarising your understanding.

Bringing the wrong questions

The meeting should focus on matters requiring council direction — not questions that can be answered by reading the LEP or DCP.

Not changing the proposal afterwards

If council identifies a genuine design problem, take it seriously. A small early change can prevent a major delay, refusal or expensive redesign later.

Pre-lodgement checklist

Before booking or attending, make sure you have:

• Property address and lot/DP details
• A clear written proposal description
• Current site survey
• Site analysis
• Concept site plan, floor plans, elevations and sections
• Existing and proposed floor areas
• Building height and setback dimensions
• Planning controls summary
• Photos of the site and adjoining development
• Shadow diagrams, where relevant
• Parking, access and preliminary stormwater information
• Operating details for commercial uses
• List of likely risks
• List of focused questions for council
• Details of prior DAs, approvals or refusals
• Owner's authority to act, where required
• A plan for recording actions after the meeting

Frequently asked questions

Important information. This guide provides general information about NSW pre-lodgement (pre-DA) meetings and related planning processes. It is not legal or planning advice. Individual council policies vary — always confirm the current process, fees and requirements with your consent authority and obtain professional advice for material decisions.