What You Need to Know About Achieving Council Approval – Episode 10

You need to know about achieving council approval if you’re planning a development project or even just changing the use of a building.

In this 10-episode video series, Colin Fragar, our founder and CEO, shares the top ten things you need to know to achieve council approval.

Click on the “Play” button below to watch Episode 10 now:



Or for those that prefer to read, here is a transcript of the video…

Colin Fragar here from Council Approval Group. I just like to congratulate you for getting through to video number 10. It obviously shows that you’re serious about your financial future and unleashing the value of your property. So what we’ve been doing is going through Your Ultimate Guide to Council Approval, make sure you grab your copy if you haven’t got it already.

Recap: Mistakes Nos. 1-9

I just want to do a quick recap and then a very important one at the end, which is number 10.
  1. Spending money on plans before you know what the rules are.
  2. Spending money on plans before you know the probability of success.
  3. Settling too quickly on one development type and really shortchanging yourself. We really want to maximize the use of your land, use of your business, or whatever it is to really make your financial future secure and to achieve those dreams that you want.
  4. Ignoring what you can do without council approval. There are actually some things we can do, some loopholes we can jump through, that’ll come out in the Preliminary Planning Assessment, which we can do for you.
  5. Flying blind in a pre-lodgement meeting or any sort of discussion with the council. It’s best to leave it to people that speak the same language because we don’t want to tarnish your project and make achieving council approval more difficult.
  6. Once you prepare your development application, putting it to the council and it actually doesn’t even get through the stormtroopers at the front counter. Just watch out for that one. And we’ve got some tips and tricks around that, time-honoured principles, after thousands of projects.
  7. Doing works without approval. Whatever you do, don’t start doing construction work without approval. And if you have done it, please give us a call and let’s get you out of trouble as soon as possible because the fines are significant and you may even have to demolish.
  8. Don’t get blindsided by requests for further information. If the council is asking questions, that’s fine. Leave it to us and we’ll handle it for you. But just don’t freak out because it does happen.
  9. Don’t be a helicopter applicant and swarm the process. Don’t rub them up the wrong way because they will literally put your application at the bottom of the pile most of the time.

Mistake No. 10: Not Having the Right Team

Number 10 is the project often derails when you don’t have the right team around you. When people come to us part way through a project because something has gone wrong, we find it’s because they didn’t have the right team.
My father, who’s been doing this for 50 plus years, says you need three things to make a project successful.
  • You need a great client or a great applicant,
  • You a great project. The project has to have merits. It’s got to be a fantastic proposal and something of real value.
  • And you also need the right team around you. You’ve got to have the right consultant.

Get Your Advice for Achieving Council Approval

I just really wanted to extend our services to you as an opportunity. We have done 30,491 projects. We’ve been doing this for so many years, I’ve lost count. We really are passionate about getting council approval because we’ve seen the value and I’ve seen the value of my life. I’ve done like 10 plus of these myself, and it has literally changed my life. I get to spend more time with my family, I have way less financial pressures than I used to and it all hinges on getting council approval.

Please grab your guide or book an appointment with us. Whatever it is, make a commitment to take a step forward. This is the last video that I might have with you. And I really, really encourage you to keep going further if you’ve got this far. You’re just so close to success.

Let us help you and we look forward to dealing with you and talking with you in person.

Article Last Updated: 28 June 2024