Planning verses building permits – know the difference

It is that time in your life when you are thinking about building a home or business? It's a very exciting time but you must know the difference between planning and actually building. The permits are very different for both and you must study them before going forward with a loan and finding a piece of property in Brunswick.

Planning permit

A planning permit is a document allowing you to develop on a piece of property. This will allow you to demolish a home or landscaping the property until your heart's content. The planning is used to understanding the effect your future building or demolishing will have on the environment. This gives the neighbours and surrounding community an understanding of what you are going to do to the property. If there is a problem, it gets dealt with in the planning phase, rather than during the building.

Making sure you know the difference between a planning and building permit is crucial.

If these plans are being used to build a commercial business, then this planning phase will give you a sense if the community will have any objection to it. The council will be paying attention to your plans and they will go by the guidelines of the Planning and Environmental Act of 1987.

Building permit

Building permits, on the other hand, are a bit different to planning permits and they are controlled by the Building Act 1993 and Building Act 2006. A building permit concentrates on if the building is going to be safe whether it is for commercial or private purposes. Buildings permits are sometimes required for the some of smallest amounts of work, this includes demolitions or small repairs or maintenance. It is better to make sure a small alteration is covered under the regulations, otherwise it could cost you in the long run. 

The most important thing to do is to contact the council to make sure you have the right permits, planning or building. Then the next step is to talk to your lender and then your real estate agent to make sure everyone knows the regulations. 

If you are planning on on building your home or a business talk to to the team at Ray White Brunswick for the best advice.