All About Town Planners in Australia

All Your Questions Answered

Are you a property owner considering making alterations or developing your property, and have been told you need a Town Planner to help you get the right council approvals in place? Or, perhaps you are looking at buying a property or starting a business, but need the proper approvals and don’t know where to start.

You may never have dealt with a Town Planner and don’t know where to start or what to look for.  Don’t worry; this article has been written to help you understand what Town Planners do, and how they can help you with your Development Application.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, you may want to watch the video below, in which our CEO, Colin Fragar, discusses what Town Planners do and how we can help you.

If you are looking for a Town Planner to help you with your project, click the button below to take advantage our free consult and receive a copy of our magazine. During the free consult, you will talk to one of our property consultants who will discuss what you would like to do with your property.

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Choose from the Table of Contents Below:

• Summary (Key Takeaways)
• What Does a Town Planner Do?
• When Do You Need a Town Planner – 7 Reasons
• What are the Risks of not using a Town Planner – Top 4 Risks
• Mini Case Study Example – Heritage Area Dual Occupancy
• What is the Difference between a Town Planner, an Urban Planner and an Architect?
• Town Planner, Architect & Private Certifier Task Differences
• Should I talk to a Town Planner before buying a Property?
• Do I need a Town Planner?
• How to Choose a Good Town Planner – Top 4 Skills
• Who Regulates Town Planners in Australia?
• PIA Membership Tiers – Meaning & Requirements
• RP+EIA Accreditation & Requirements in Detail
• LFPIA Accreditation & Requirements in Detail
• Max Fragar – Founder, LFPIA & RP+(EIA)
• Colin Fragar – Max’s Son, CEO & Educator
• How Much Does a Town Planner Cost in Australia
• What Town Planning Services Does Council Approval Group Offer?
• What People Say About Our Town Planners
• Where Can I Find a Town Planner Near Me?
• Why Choose Us?

Time and time again, we are able to create literally hundreds of thousands of dollars for our clients because we have found a town planning loophole – Colin Fragar

Summary (Key Takeaways)

Click the + on the right to read the full summary

• • • A Town Planner is extremely beneficial to assist with the preparation of development documents for council approval.
    • You should engage a Town Planner at the beginning of a development project to get strategic advice, especially if you want to:
      • Subdivide, Reconfigure, or Create a New Lot
      • Renovation, Addition or New Build
      • Change a Building’s Use
      • Exceed Local Height, Floor Space, or Site Coverage Limits
      • Build on Flood, Bushfire, Heritage, or Environmental Overlays
      • Add a Granny Flat/Secondary Dwelling that Isn’t Exempt
      • Face an Appeal in the Land & Environment Court
    • Not using a Town Planner can leave you open to these Top 4 Risks:
      • Non-Acceptance and Rejection
      • Missed Opportunities
      • Wasting Money
      • Unwanted Stress and Frustration
    • Ideally, a Town Planner will guide the Architect’s plans
    • Town Planners, Architects, and Private Certifiers all perform different tasks
    • Before purchasing a property, a Town Planner can help you understand its true value by knowing its potential.
    • Engaging a Town Planner is essential if you want to maximise the potential of your property.
    • Not all Town Planners are the same. The top 4 skills to look for include:
      • Problem-Solving Skills
      • Technical/Analytical Skills
      • Communication and Project Management Skills
      • Detail Oriented
    • Town Planners are regulated by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), which has 5 membership tiers:
      • Graduate
      • Full member (MPIA)
      • Registered Planner (RPIA)
      • Registered Planner + (RP+EIA)
      • Life Fellow (LFPIA)
    • The cost of a Town Planner largely depends on the value they provide, combined with the scope of the project

What Does a Town Planner Do?

Town Planners, sometimes known as urban planners, can either work for the Council to approve Development Applications or as consultants helping clients/developers seeking development approval to develop property. 

Town planning requires these individuals to understand local policies and how developments impact the environment, traffic, and surrounding communities. Understanding these needs significantly impacts development approvals. 

Taking on any development requires considerable effort and investment, so it’s important to realise that every decision you make can impact the overall outcome of your project.

SPEAK TO A CONSULTANT TOWN PLANNER

When Do You Need a Town Planner – 7 Reasons

>Ideally, a person should engage a Town Planner to get expert and strategic advice if the project plan is to:

1. Subdivide, Reconfigure, or Create a New Lot

Subdivision is a complex process, and ideally, you should consult a Town Planner to navigate this process. You can read more about subdivisions here.

2. Renovation, Addition or New Build

Receiving development approval is a complex process, and if your project does not align with council requirements and planning regulations, it risks delays and rejection. Town Planners understand the application process intimately and know how to communicate with the council (many of our Town Planners used to work at the council), ensuring adjustments are made to streamline the approval process

3. Change a Building’s Use

For example, a property owner may want to change a house into a medical practice. A Town Planner will understand potential issues with a change of use and address these before lodgement.

4. Exceed Local Height, Floor Space Ration, or Site Coverage Limits

A Town Planner will understand how to navigate these complex rules and find ways to work around them, thereby increasing the property’s investment potential by avoiding the need for revisions, regulatory, legal or compliance issues and costly delays

5. Build on Flood, Bushfire, Heritage or Environmental Overlays

A Town Planner understands these overlays and the associated restrictions which accompany them. A Town Planner finds ways to navigate around these restrictions while ensuring the development is compliant and minimises the related risks the overlays pose to ensure a project is successful and sustainable.

6. Add a Granny Flat/Secondary Dwelling that isn’t Exempt

If a granny flat/secondary dwelling doesn’t meet all requirements for an exempt or complying development, a development application will require Council Approval.

7. Face an Appeal in the Land & Environment Court

Town Planners can provide strategic advice to address any potential legal challenges during an appeal, as they have specialised knowledge of the planning rules, the associated assessment criteria and legal requirements.

A Town planner’s expertise ensures your project is well-represented to comply with relevant council policies, legislation and zoning regulations to increase the likelihood of a favourable outcome of an appeal.

A Town Planner can help streamline and expedite complex approvals by providing the council officer with the necessary paperwork to address possible objections and improve the likelihood of a successful result.

I NEED A TOWN PLANNER

What are the Risks of not using a Town Planner?

It may seem like a good idea to save your hard-earned money and instead use this capital to invest in getting your desired finishes. You may even feel confident in navigating the application process yourself. Before doing this, you should understand the risks of not using a Town Planner.

There’s still a large number of people who think that they can achieve the approval by themselves. They try to figure out the legislation, they spend hours deliberating over the different rules that are applied to their property, but they miss one thing and then they spend money on plans. Gets to the council, and it gets refused – Colin Fragar

Top 4 Risks of Not Using a Town Planner

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Non-Acceptance & Rejection:

Not supplying all the necessary documentation can lead to significant and costly delays. Unless all documents are provided, some councils will not even accept the application into their system. An application should be strategically prepared, with enough supporting documents to help mitigate objections and reduce your chance of costly delays. 

Missed Opportunities:

If you do not understand what is possible, you may not have considered all the available alternatives to get the highest and best use from your property development.

Wasting Money:

Town Planners provide architects with crucial information during the design phase. Without a Town Planner’s guidance, plans risk not meeting compliance standards and, therefore, being rejected.

Stress and Frustration:

The development process is complex and time-consuming; navigating these complexities without professional know-how can cause financial problems and friction among stakeholders.  

HELP ME AVOID RISKS

Mini Case Study Example – Heritage Area Dual Occupancy

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Project:

800 m² NSW infill lot flanked by a childcare centre & heritage cottage

Problem:

Heritage limits on one side and quiet childcare on the other constrained the building’s size, privacy, and façade choices.

Town Planner’s Fix:

We designed an attached dual occupancy that appears as one home from the street, meeting heritage scale rules and ensuring soundproofing on the childcare side.

Outcome:

The DA was granted; the owners added a second dwelling without compromising the neighbourhood character or requiring a heritage variation.

To see more of our case studies, click below.

SEE MORE CASE STUDIES

What is the difference between a Town Planner, an Urban Planner and an Architect?

As mentioned, a Town Planner is the same profession as an urban planner; they help guide designs, prepare documentation for developments and prepare development applications for council approval.

There is however a difference in planners who work for council and consultant Town Planners. Planners who work for the council (it is their job to tell you what you can’t do and assess applications) and consultant Town Planners work for you (it is their job to represent your application and find opportunities to improve your properties potential).

On the other hand, an architect works strictly on designing buildings to ensure that the design and structural integrity work seamlessly to create a functional building fit for purpose.

So they work together, but they have very, very different functions. And, in our case, working together is proving to be very beneficial – Max Fragar

Ideally, a Consultant Town Planner and Architect would work together to ensure that designs are compliant and fit for purpose. There is no point creating designs with an architect that can’t be built because they don’t meet the stringent criteria stipulated by your local Council.

Town Planner, Architect & Private Certifier Task Differences?

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Should I talk to a Town Planner before Buying a Property?

Yes, you should absolutely consider consulting a Town Planner before buying a property, regardless of whether you are buying it to develop or live in.

Town Planners understand the property’s potential and, therefore, the value the property holds. 

So many times, in the initial consultation, people say, “Oh, I wish we’d known you before we bought this property” – Max Fragar

Whilst you may not be considering further development yourself, a property that offers further opportunities (for example, the ability to subdivide, build a second dwelling or add a granny flat) will hold higher value when it comes to selling the property in the future.

UNDERSTAND DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS

Do I need a Town Planner?

Yes, if you’re seeking to develop a property, a Town planner can help avoid costly time delays and other problems that may arise during the approval process. Ultimately, a Town Planner will maximise your chance of receiving an approval and improve your investment potential.

The Town Planner will work with the Architect, will work with the Council Planner, and will work with you – Max Fragar

Many people go to an architect or draftsman to create plans based on their wishes without seeking guidance from a Town Planner. Not consulting a Town Planner is a very risky manoeuvre! Without a clear understanding of the zoning laws, plans are often submitted and denied.

A consultant Town Planner works alongside the client to guide the architect in managing expectations and strategising possible solutions based on desired outcomes to get the best result.

An example is one of my own personal projects. We recently bought a corner lot property which we thought we could just get a secondary dwelling on. It in fact turned out to be one we could subdivide using a dual occupancy. It didn’t meet the requirements of council but we were able to get it through because we had experience in the field – Colin Fragar

By understanding the legislation, they ensure that Plans meet requirements, all the correct paperwork is submitted, and any conflicts that may derail an approval are addressed. Addressing these issues ultimately makes the approval process easier for the council officer, ensuring a more likely approval.

How to Choose a Good Town Planner – Understand Skills

Considering your investment size and expected returns, engaging a good Town Planner is crucial to improve the return on investment.

Choosing an experienced team of Town Planners who work together means you will get the breadth of knowledge and experience to solve your problem, particularly if your project is complex.

They’ll be able to find the highest and best use. And not only that, once it gets into council, they’ll then push your project forward – Colin Fragar

Below, we will share the 4 top skills a good Town Planner has so you know what to look for. 

Top 4 Town Planning Skills

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Problem-Solvers:

An average Town Planner will likely play by the rules; they won’t consider ways to extend your investment further and will likely write a simple report.

A good Town Planner, on the other hand, will think of and suggest alternative solutions that you may not have considered. They will have great problem-solving skills and won’t necessarily stop at the first problem they encounter; instead, they will look for loopholes to solve issues and find ways to improve your development. 

Their job is to depart from local planning rules to be able to find those departures which allow you, for example, to have a larger dwelling, a smaller lot size, and all of those different things are incredibly important – Colin Fragar

For example, they may find ways to depart from the minimum lot size, building height, floor space ratio, etc., to get your property’s highest and best use.

Technical & Analytical:

A good Town Planner looks at the problem holistically. In other words, they deeply understand planning laws and balance those with data analysis of land use to consider environmental impact, sustainability, economic factors, and trends to guide and implement effective plans that positively impact communities.

Furthermore, they will be familiar with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which helps with data analysis and the visualisation of plans.

Communicators & Project Planners:

At some point, we have all had the experience of asking a lawyer, accountant, or doctor to understand a complex problem and having them explain the situation using impossible jargon—leaving you more confused than you started. Instead of feeling relieved with an understanding, you will be more confused than you were to begin.

Similarly, you may have also had a question answered by an expert who explained it in simple, easy-to-understand language, leaving you feeling like an expert. A good Town Planner explains complex issues effortlessly.  

Our Planner understands the language and talks the language with the Council Planner. But will talk with you in a way that you understand – Max Fragar

They also listen to your needs and desired outcomes to advise you on progress and plan your project effectively. These communication skills are crucial for building strong relationships with all stakeholders, including the Council.

Detail-Oriented:

Small things can have a big impact on the success and outcome of your project. A good Town Planner will comb through and assess plans to find faults and ensure that time is not wasted on plans that will likely be refused.

They will ensure that the plans submitted comply with development standards. 

At times, desires will require the planner to be creative and push the boundaries of what is possible. A good Town Planner will always rise to the challenge.

If plans don’t completely comply with required standards, they will preempt these and find openings to defend the position of the application’s success by supplying enough detail to ensure the Council strongly considers the application.

Projects like this may receive a Request for Further Information (RFI), which should be seen in a positive light as this means the project is progressing. A good Town Planner will interpret what is needed (and what is not) to help the Council validate their decision.

Your Town Planner must be effective with the above skills, as they will represent you and the likelihood of a successful outcome with the Council.

I NEED AN EXPERT TOWN PLANNER

Who Regulates Town Planners in Australia?

Unlike Architects or Engineers, Town Planners are not licensed by a single national board. The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) sets professional standards and is the primary recognised body for every state and territory government.

Not all Town Planners are registered by the PIA, but it is possible to check which Town Planners are registered here.

PIA Membership Tiers – Understanding, Meaning & Requirements

The PIA has five membership tiers, which are:

• Graduate 
• Full Member (MPIA) 
• Registered Planner (RPIA)
• Registered Planner Plus (RP+ EIA)
• Life Fellow (LFPIA)

Understanding PIA Tiers & What They Mean

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Graduate  

• This is for early‑career planners who are building hours toward higher grades
• They hold a recognised planning degree and require Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Full Member (MPIA)

• They are fully qualified practitioners
• This level requires a minimum of 2 years’ experience and 20 CPD hours per annum

Registered Planner (RPIA)

• This level represents the gold standard of strategic and statutory competence
• To achieve this level of competence, members need to have been a full member for 5 years, and are required to complete a multi-part interview and written assessment across six competencies

Registered Planner Plus (RP+ EIA)

• This is an extra credential for the complex Environmental Impact Assessment (recognised by the NSW REAP scheme)
• Planners must already be a RPIA member for no less than 10 years and are required to complete an additional EIA module, along with a panel interview and commit to continuing CPD on EIA

Life Fellow (LFPIA)

• This is PIA’s highest honour and is considered the pinnacle of achievement in a planner’s career. This is only given to planners  who have created a legacy of lasting positive changes in the planning industry
• Members must have already been a PIA member for 30 years, require board approval, as well as peer-reviewed testimonials

RP+EIA Accreditation Requirements in Detail

Registered Planner Plus Environmental Assessment Practitioners (RP+EIA) was created under the NSW Registered Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 (EPA & A Regulations).

The Registered Environmental Assessment Practitioners (REAP) Scheme is an accreditation and framework to support state-significant projects in NSW. Town Planners who are qualified with this accreditation are highly skilled, to ensure quality standards are met.

To achieve RP+EIA accreditation, planners must be a current PIA Registered Planner with at least 10 years of full-time (or equivalent) experience in a NSW environmental or planning practice and must complete PIA’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) module.

Accreditation is valid for two years, but to maintain the qualification, registered planners must maintain PIA’s Continuous Professional Development and meet the PIA’s Code of Professional Conduct.

LFPIA Accreditation Requirements in Detail

1. Already a Fellow.
2. Hold at least 30 years of PIA Full Membership (not necessarily consecutive).
3. Demonstrate a legacy of lasting positive change, documented impact on planning practice, education or policy.
4. Secure a nomination and two seconders (all must be PIA members).
5. Submit a portfolio and testimonials to the Division Fellows Sub‑committee.
6. Pass the National Board endorsement.
7. Attend the awards ceremony where the LFPIA badge is conferred.

Max Fragar – Founder of Council Approval Group

LFPIA | RP+ (EIA)

With over 50 years in statutory planning, Max is a Life Fellow of the PIA (fewer than 20 Town Planners have received this honour in NSW) and one of the first Town Planners to achieve the new RP+ (EIA) accreditation.

Max has personally signed off on more than 22,000 development consents and served two decades as a Director of Town Planning at Blue Mountains City Council.

Colin Fragar - Max’s Son

(CEO, Council Approval Group)

With Max as his dad, Colin grew up discussing zoning maps at the dinner table. 

Although not a Town Planner, Colin is an award‑winning entrepreneur, property developer and best‑selling author, who leads our 50‑strong team that has helped + clients.

Colin holds degrees in Business and Law and bought his first investment property at 19; today, he teaches everyday Australians how thoughtful planning unlocks hidden value.

Together, Max and Colin bring in a combined 70+  years of frontline planning experience.

How Much Does a Town Planner Cost in Australia?

The cost of a Town Planner in Australia varies depending on the job’s requirements, and most will estimate a quote based on the expected hourly rate.

Once we’ve done our early assessment, we will know what the planner will cost and we will know what other parts of the project are important – Max Fragar

The question you need to ask when considering the cost Town Planner is the value the Town Planner adds. 

You will want to choose a good Town Planner who has experience. Choosing a Town Planner who works with other Town Planners means you can tap into a team of knowledge and specialists to help you solve specific problems relevant to your particular application.

Whilst using a Town Planner is a big investment, I am sure you are starting to understand their value. We would love to help you eliminate some of the stress from your development.

What Town Planning Services Does Council Approval Group Offer?

We offer a large range of Town Planning services including:

• Preliminary  Planning Assessment
• Development (DA) or Planning Applications
• Architectural Plans for Council (Our Registered Design Practitioner Architect works alongside Town Planners to ensure your plans meet requirements)
• Council Requests Management 
• Post Consent Services (CC’s, SC’s & SWC’s)

We have experience over multiple project types, so whether your project is residential, commercial, industrial or rural, we offer a free consultation with one of our property consultants to get you started.

What People Say About Our Town Planners

The advice they gave was perfect, timely and absolutely spot on. It saved me over $10,000 as well! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Barbara Braithwaite

We’re happy with the service provided by Council Approval Group. Their team was responsive and professional, and the PPA report gave us valuable insights and clear direction for our development. It helped us move forward with more confidence. Would recommend them to others seeking early planning advice.

Christine Du

Council Approval Group demystified my complex development application, delivering clear, actionable planning advice that saved me time, stress and money. Their professionalism, prompt communication and deep technical knowledge were outstanding. I highly recommend them to anyone needing expert town planning guidance, an invaluable partner for navigating council approval hurdles with ease.

Dan

READ MORE REVIEWS

Where Can I Find a Town Planner Near Me?

If you are looking for a Town Planner near you, we have a team of in-house Consultant Town Planners and Architects servicing clients throughout New South Wales, Victoria and South East Queensland.

Click below to claim your free consultation and receive a free copy of our magazine. During the consultation, you can decide whether we are a good fit for you and your project. 

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Why Choose Us?

Choosing the wrong Town Planner could also cost you valuable time and money, missed opportunities, rejection, and, dare we mention, the stress and frustration a project can cause.

We would love to help you through your development journey.