Who we work with / Architects and builders

Town planning for architects and builders — NSW

You design and build. We handle the planning side — from a controls review before the concept is locked in, through the Statement of Environmental Effects and any Clause 4.6 request, to lodgement and council's requests for information. The aim is simple: fewer redesigns, cleaner assessments and an approval your client can build.

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Last updated: 13 October 2026 · Written by Dr George Greiss

Design team marking up architectural plans on a desk

Where we fit in your project

  1. Concept. A controls review before the design is locked in — zoning, height, floor space, setbacks, heritage, flooding and the DCP provisions that will drive the assessment — so the envelope is right from the start.
  2. Design development. Mark-ups against the controls, compliance tables and an early view on any Clause 4.6 variation, so non-compliances are designed and justified rather than discovered.
  3. Pre-lodgement. Preparing for and attending pre-DA meetings with council, and turning the advice into design changes or a clear justification.
  4. Lodgement. The Statement of Environmental Effects, Clause 4.6 written requests and the NSW Planning Portal lodgement, coordinated with your drawings and the consultant reports.
  5. Assessment. Managing council's requests for information, amended plans and negotiation with the assessing officer through to determination.
  6. After approval. Section 4.55 modifications when the design evolves, conditions that need resolving, and Building Information Certificates where works need regularising.

Services for design and construction teams

Why design teams work with us

Dr George Greiss has sat on the other side of the table — as Chair of Campbelltown's Planning and Environment Committee and as a member of the regional planning panel. That experience shapes how applications are prepared: written to answer the questions an assessing officer or panel will ask, and presented so the design can be understood quickly. Fees are fixed and agreed before work starts.

Dr George Greiss, Principal Planning Consultant, Greiss Planning

Dr George Greiss

Founder & Principal Planning Consultant · PhD Urban Planning · Adjunct Associate Professor, Western Sydney University

About George →

Frequently asked questions

When should we bring a planner into the project?

As early as the concept stage. A controls review before the design is locked in is far cheaper than redesigning after a pre-DA meeting or a request for information. For straightforward projects, bringing us in at design development still works well.

Do you prepare compliance tables and mark-ups?

Yes. We prepare LEP and DCP compliance tables and mark up drawings against the controls, so the design team can see exactly where the proposal sits and what needs justifying.

Can you attend pre-DA meetings with council?

Yes. We help prepare the pre-DA package, attend the meeting, and translate council's written advice into design changes or a planning justification for the application.

Does the project need a DA, or can it go through a CDC?

That depends on the site and the proposal. Some projects qualify for complying development and some cannot, often because of a single site constraint. We confirm the pathway early so the design is prepared for the right approval.

Have a project on the board?

Send through the address, the brief and where the design is up to. We will flag the planning issues early and provide a fixed-fee quote for the planning work.

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