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Services / DA Management & Lodgement
Greiss Planning prepares, coordinates and lodges development applications with councils across NSW. We check your proposal against the planning controls, assemble the required documentation, manage consultant inputs, lodge through the NSW Planning Portal and handle council liaison until your application is determined — so nothing is missed and delays are kept to a minimum.
Get a fixed-fee quoteLast updated: 1 August 2026 · Written by Dr George Greiss
A development application is more than a set of plans. To be assessed efficiently it needs to respond to the planning controls that apply to your site, meet council's documentation requirements and anticipate the issues an assessing officer is likely to raise.
Incomplete or poorly coordinated applications are a common cause of delay. Councils can reject a lodgement that is missing required documents, and requests for additional information during assessment can add weeks or months to the process. Getting the application right before it is lodged is usually the most effective way to keep an approval on track.
Managing a DA also means managing people: architects, engineers, specialist consultants and council officers. A single point of coordination keeps the documentation consistent and the process moving.
Greiss Planning is led by Dr George Greiss, who holds a PhD in urban planning and spent sixteen years inside local government personally assessing development applications. That experience shapes how each DA is prepared: applications are put together the way an assessing officer needs to read them, with likely issues addressed up front. No consultant can guarantee an approval — but a well-prepared, well-managed application gives your proposal the strongest possible footing for assessment.
Not legally — anyone can lodge a development application. In practice, a town planner helps confirm the proposal is permissible, identifies the documents council will require and presents the planning case clearly. For anything beyond a straightforward proposal, planning input before lodgement usually reduces the risk of rejection at lodgement or delays during assessment.
Most DAs require application forms, architectural plans, a Statement of Environmental Effects and a cost estimate, plus site-specific reports such as BASIX certificates, surveys, or bushfire, flood, heritage or traffic assessments where relevant. Requirements vary between councils and proposals, so we confirm the exact documentation list for your site before anything is prepared.
It varies with the council, the complexity of the proposal and whether submissions are received. Straightforward applications may be determined within a few months; complex or contentious ones can take considerably longer. The statutory assessment clock also stops while council waits on additional information, which is why a complete, well-prepared lodgement matters so much.
A request for further information (RFI) is common and not a sign the application will be refused. We review what council is actually asking for, coordinate any additional material or amended plans, and prepare a considered response. Responding promptly and completely keeps the assessment moving and avoids the application sitting on hold.
Fees depend on the scale and complexity of the proposal and how much coordination is involved. Greiss Planning provides a fixed-fee quote after reviewing your plans and the site, so you know the cost before committing. Council lodgement fees and specialist consultant reports are separate, and are identified up front.
No — and you should be cautious of anyone who says they can. Determination rests with the council or planning panel. What we can do is prepare and manage the application so your proposal is presented in the strongest possible way: complete documentation, planning issues addressed up front, and prompt, considered responses during assessment.
Get practical support from preparation to determination, led by a planner who spent sixteen years assessing DAs.
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