Where the state government is involved as either a referral agency or the assessment manager, pre-lodgement advice can be obtained by contacting the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) through the regional office closest to you.
A Pre-Application Meeting provides the opportunity for the applicant and or their consultants to present one or more of the following submissions for initial advice:
- A completed development application, prior to it being formally lodged with Council. (ie. material change of use, reconfiguring a lot, operational works)
- Initial feedback to a proposed development application where major proposal parameters are known and researched but some direction is required from Council prior to the formal lodgement of the application.
If your project meets the above requirements, please complete a Pre-application-Meeting-Form.pdf(PDF, 572KB) to arrange a meeting with Council.
A council officer will contact you within five business days to arrange a meeting.
Please note: Due to the Christmas holiday period, no Pre-Application meetings will be scheduled between 15 December 2025 and 19 January 2026. If you submit a Pre-Application meeting request during this time, please be aware that the next available meeting may not be until late January 2026. We appreciate your understanding.
Note: Pre-application meetings are offered as a free service by the Development Assessment Branch, and as such meeting minutes are not distributed following the pre-application meeting. However, you are welcome (and encouraged) to take your own meeting minutes. Again, pre-application meetings should not be substituted for independent professional advice or a comprehensive due diligence process.