Corner Stone Town Planning
At Cornerstone Town Planning, we undertake everything from simple site analysis and due diligence assessments through to complex site reviews with a team of multidisciplinary consultants.
Our site analysis and due diligence services assist you in making an informed decision on a property purchase or moving forward with a development project.
Site Analysis and Due Diligence Services
Site analysis and due diligence is a comprehensive assessment of a property to determine development potential and factors that may affect its current and future use. This typically involves a review of the local and state planning framework relevant to the property, land tenure, environmental and heritage matters.
We can tailor our site analysis and due diligence services to meet your requirements whether that be a high-level assessment of development options, or a fine-grained review of a development proposal.
Detailed site analysis and due diligence can further involve engagement with key stakeholders. Early engagement with stakeholders assists in greater understanding of the applicable planning framework and identifying key development considerations.
Understanding opportunities and challenges before you purchase a property or prepare a development application assists in making informed decisions.
Assessment of the planning framework
We identify the state and local planning framework relevant to the site.
Depending on the depth of analysis required, this may be a high-level confirmation of the zoning, land use permissibility, or a detailed assessment of your project against development controls to confirm feasibility.
Land tenure
A review of the Certificate of Title for the property is essential to confirm the spatial extent and encumbrances that may affect the development or use of the land. This may include identification of easements in favour, or that burden the property or restrictive covenants that may restrict the use of the land in some way.
Site characteristics
Physical site characteristics of the property require review.
Topography of the land, location of services, geotechnical conditions, drainage and flood-prone areas are all relevant considerations. Flood-prone areas may require setback of buildings or increased finished floor levels. Location of infrastructure services, such as high-voltage power lines, may require additional separation.
If buildings are proposed to be retained as part of a subdivision, it’s also important to understand their location relevant to the proposed subdivision boundaries to ensure the retention of the buildings can be accommodated.
Infrastructure and servicing
We can review whether essential services such as power, water and sewer are connected or whether they are available in the locality. If more detailed infrastructure servicing advice is required, we can assist in engaging the relevant consultants to provide specialised advice.
In rural locations, some infrastructure services may not be available. For Rural Residential properties, on-site effluent disposal may be required. We can assist in engaging the environmental and geotechnical consultants to determine disposal solutions.
Environmental considerations
Wetlands, native vegetation, presence of fauna, bush fire, acid sulphate soils and coastal processes are some of the matters that need to be considered. As part of a site analysis, we review mapping and databases to confirm the presence of environmental considerations.
A review of the contaminated sites database is essential to determine if there is any identification of contamination that may require remediation or affect the use of the land.
Our analysis further extends to review heritage sites that may affect the property and require additional approvals to develop.
Approval Searches
As part of due diligence investigations, we can coordinate searches of development approvals and building permits with local government and other authorities. This assists in understanding what approvals have been granted and the conditions of such approvals.
Specialist Consultants
For complex assessments or if a specific site concern is identified, we will recommend engagement of a specialist consultant to ensure that you are properly informed. Cornerstone Town Planning regularly engage bushfire, traffic, environmental, engineering and hydrological consultants. We can appoint and manage a team of specialised consultants on your behalf and provide a consolidated report for you.
Timing
Timing for preparation of site assessment and due diligence reports depends on the depth of the assessment required and the planning framework.
We can tailor a solution to meet your timing requirements whilst allowing you to make informed decisions.
Conclusion
At Cornerstone Town Planning, our site analysis and due diligence services will assist you in making properly informed decisions in respect to a property purchase or development proposal through comprehensive analysis.
Our services can inform you of approvals required and approval processes, providing a roadmap for projects from purchase through to development approval.
Our principal town planner has over 25 years of industry experience.
Want to discuss your property or proposal? Please get in touch, and we’ll have a conversation about what you require and our approach.
Disclaimer – the information contained above does not constitute planning advice, and is of a general nature. You should obtain town planning advice relevant to your specific circumstances. In that regard please do not hesitate to contact Cornerstone Town Planning.
