And we’ve got the numbers to back up this claim, because a year or so ago we did a study to find out how much value a council approval really adds to a property. After looking at our 3000+ approvals we’ve achieved for our clients plus what each approval is worth, we worked out that on average a council approval can add over $250,000—yes that’s right, over a quarter of a million dollars—to just one property!

If jumping straight into a development approval seems too big, you could just dip your toes in and find out what is actually allowed on your property. And actually this is what we’d recommend to anyone thinking about getting council approval: doing a preliminary assessment on their property. This service costs just a tiny fraction of the whole project but maximises the chances of approval and confirms that seeking development approval is worth all the effort because you’ve got the best possible chance of getting approval for your property.

Our aim is to find you the quickest and easiest path to approval, amongst one of the most complicated planning regimes in the world. Keep in mind, though, that what’s most important is to apply for the best possible project.

If you engage us to do a Preliminary Planning Assessment on your property, we will determine the best path for approval for you so that you can know that you have put your project on the quickest path to determination.

If your project does need to have a development application lodged, councils have specific mandates on how long they have to assess your application. For example, in NSW councils have 42 working days once your application is lodged (excluding any stop-the-clock requests for further information). Of course councils don’t promise the approval in 42 days, but you do have appeal rights for deemed refusal if they don’t approve your development application within that timeframe.

Thanks to our highly developed systems over the last 25 years, you are not at the mercy of a start-up consultant who wings it.

Whatever the quickest path to success is, we will find it for you.

In our industry there’s a saying,“The time to buy property was yesterday, the second-best time is today”. We often reflect that anything to do with property is never going to be cheaper than it is today. Therefore, indecision costs you and I the most.

Every week we hear of someone saying, “I wish I had found you years ago before we or I (blank)” or “If only I knew you existed before we or I (blank)”. You can imagine what the blanks might be: something to do with money, hassle, or stress. Or, most likely, a combination of or all of the above.

We don’t want this to be your story. The cost of inaction in property investment is real and can result in a huge opportunity cost. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We’re here to help.

Property in Australia has doubled in value every 7–10 years for the past century. There is no other investment category that comes close when you also take into account the power of leverage. On top of that percentage, we can manufacture even more growth by achieving council approval.

To achieve the best result, and capitalise on our 98% success rate over the past 25 years, there are a few essential things that you need to do to maximise your chance of success:

• First, engage us to do a Preliminary Planning Assessment (don’t skip this step);
• Work with our internal design team (if a project comes unstuck it is usually because the plans were prepared by someone who has no council approval experience and is not working closely with a consultant town planner); and
• Be willing to push through council negativity and follow our recommendations all the way through to the end.

The Australian town planning system is one of the most regulated and restricted systems in the world. Despite our track record being possibly the best in Australia, despite having 12,000 plus projects over 25 years under our belt, we do not guarantee approval.

We suggest that anyone who guarantees a council approval is playing in the infant safe zone. They usually are not in business for more than a year. Clients soon realise that if approval is guaranteed, it means that the consultant is not seeking the best outcome from council, as they play it safe so they keep their paycheque.

What we guarantee is that your project will be given the best possible chance of success for the best possible outcome.