1 January 2020
 Categories: Construction & Contractors, Blog

When you think about land use in Australia today and in the past, you will admit that land use is in constant change. Notably, new technologies and techniques have played a critical role in the way Australians manage their lots for various uses. Most importantly, there is increasing pressure on land use. It might explain why most property owners are subdividing their lots to match industry demands. However, before you think about what you are going to use your subdivided land for, you must first understand the critical land division stages. The information below will assist you in handling the entire process from start to completion. 

Town Planning Approval

The first stage in the land subdivision process is obtaining the town planning approval. It involves lodging a Reconfiguration of Lot (RoL) application with the town council for approval. It is crucial to point out that once you have lodged your RoL application with the council, the approval period can take between three and six months. However, not all RoL applications take this long. For instance, some jurisdictions have introduced systems to fast track the entire process. It is especially the case for low-risk lot subdivision applications since these can be approved in less than four weeks. 

Compliance with Conditions

Approval of the reconfiguration of lot by the council does not permit you to proceed to subdivide your lot and to develop the new lots. The council usually attaches conditions that the property owner must comply with before they start subdividing and developing their land. For example, the council might require you to pay a specific fee for the planning and subdivision processes. Another excellent example of conditions that you might need to comply with is connecting the lot to existing council services such as sewer, water and telecommunications infrastructure. Depending on the complexity of the conditions to be fulfilled, compliance with RoL conditions can take up to six months. 

Survey Plan Registration

The last stage in the land subdivision process is registering the survey plan, and it is done once you have complied with all the conditions that came with the RoL. Your surveyor, in conjunction with the town planner, will submit the survey plan to the council for sealing and safekeeping. It acts as evidence that you or any other party you sell the new lots to is the legal owner of the subdivided land. The final stage is arguably the most important because once the survey plan is sealed, the council can release the new title certificates for each subdivision.