Building Survey Australian Standards of Assessment

Building Surveying Assessment

Task 1: Planning Application requirements George Rivers Council

a. All documents needed to achieve satisfactory planning-approval submission for a three-storey home and whether or not the venture would acquire council approval.

Development Application lodgment requirements

Application forms (Hard copies accepted)

· Complete Development Application

· Consent of the owner on a separate letter or form

Plans- PDF (All new additions colored)

· Survey Plan (needed in case of every new structure and any additions or extensions made to extant structures)

· Site Analysis Plan

· Site Plan (All applications) – Needs to display site area, size, north point, extant vegetation, structures’ locations and their distance from the boundaries, and adjacent plots’ building locations

· Elevations (Fresh external modifications and developments) that explicitly display individual floor, roof and ceiling levels’ heights, besides extant and planned ground levels

· Sections (Every fresh external modification and development)

· Floor Plans (Every fresh development. In case of additions and modifications, there is a need to submit extant as well as planned floor plans). Floor plans must cover individual rooms’ use, levels and layout to AHD

· Elevational Shadows and Shadow Diagrams (all developments of a minimum of two floors)

· Landscape Plan displaying deep soil areas and pervious and impervious areas; this includes all retaining structures or walls

· Schedule of finishes and colors

· Storm water management report or calculator, checklist and storm water concept plan

Design Review Panel Package (SEPP 65 Applications) – 3 additional hard copies

· SEPP 65- Registered Architect-prepared Design Verification Statement

· Environmental Effects Statement

· Whole Set of landscaping and architectural plans (A3 size)

Supporting Documentation- Electronic PDF copies

· BASIX Certificate

· Environmental Effects Statement

· Report on Acid Sulphate Soils

· Waste Management Plan

· Conservation management plan and Statement on Heritage Impact (Georges River Council n.da)

The present three-storey structure venture possesses most of the vital documentation needed as per George River Council planning application requirements. But it fails to entirely meet the requirements outlined in the council’s lodgment checklist for development applications. Further, the following key documents needed in case of new residences are missing - a Waste Management Plan and an Acid Sulphate Soils Report. Thus, the application in its existing state will probably not acquire council approval.

b. Compliance with statutory requirements

The Australian statutory requirements applicable to a three-storey building’s construction include; the Building Code of Australia, the 1975 Building Act, the Queensland Development Code, and the 2006 building regulation. Up until now, the documents presented adhere to the legal prerequisites for the edifice’s particular class. But a few remain to be presented, such as documentation detailing the techniques for conducting the planned construction work; this includes a working plan outlined within AS 2601, required for building demolition. In case of the site in question, two detached structures – a brick garage and a weatherboard cottage need to be demolished. Thus, there is a need for a demolition plan.

c. Is the council asking for more documentation than is required by legislation?

No, according to legislation, only the following are needed: no less than 3 copies of; details on the surroundings, site plan, extra plans, and details on the planned development. Besides these requirements, local and state governments and councils can incorporate more planning instruments for altering the nature of assessment needed for particular kinds of development.

d. Produce a checklist for assessing this application.

1. Certificate of Title

Certificate of Title copy, issued in the past six months.

2. Written justification

3. Complete Application Form containing the signatures of every All owner of the site (For common property development)

For scheme alterations, policy requirements or R-Codes (that address appropriate Design Principles).

4. Licensed Surveyor-certified Site Feature Survey (which includes street verge), drawn to a minimum 1:200 scale, depicting:

· Extant 0.5m-interval contours that extend beyond the plot’s boundaries;

· Extant structures, which include retaining walls;

· Appropriate location, finished floor and spot levels of neighboring edifices;

· Extant trees in the project site;

· Road widening details

· Street trees, which include the DBH (breast height diameter), the tree’s center, and dimensions of setback (taken between the crossover and the tree’s exterior;

· Other fixtures (e.g., bus stops, traffic islands, power domes and power poles);

· Lot dimensions and boundaries (Georges River Council n.da).

5. A set of Plans, with relevant dimensions, drawn to scale, which cover:

a. The Site Plan which displays:

· North point;

· New structures’ locations as well as those of extant structures which will be retained;

· Parking bays with dimensions, crossovers, maneuvering and turning areas;

· Description of upgradations to extant structures (e.g., OLAs, parking lots, stores, etc.) which will be retained;

· Drying areas’ and courtyards’ locations

· Planned contours, finished ground and floor levels (which covers courtyards) and retaining walls’ heights and locations;

· Vision diagrams’ privacy cone and overshadowing;

· Boundary and front fencing details;

· Letter and meter boxes’ location in case of multiple and grouped housing developments; and

· Planned crossover and driveway design levels according to the planning policy of the George Rivers Council

b. Floor plans (Every floor, together with the internal plan of all extant structures which will be retained);

· Lot boundaries are to be displayed on every floor plan

· Vision diagram cone in case of upper levels.

c. Overshadow diagram in which an adjacent southern lot is impacted;

d. Elevations which display:

· Extant planned retaining walls and natural ground level;

· Elevations from every exterior viewpoint (sides and the front) for fencing within street setback areas

· Meter boxes.

e. In case of housing applications for more than one dwelling, a diagram depicting indicative lot sizes and boundaries; this includes all common properties (i.e., a ‘pre-calc’ diagram);

f. Schedule of Finishes and Material for every structure, fence, driveway, and so forth in case of new commercial projects and applications involving Design Guidelines and Heritage Protected areas

6. Landscaping Plan depicting:

· All extant vegetation;

· Planned vegetation, which covers (with dimensions) plant sizes, bed sizes, notation and number of extant vegetation and plants planned on being retained, and plant species;

· Verge Levels and Areas;

· Paved areas, driveways, footpaths, and car parks;’

· North Point and lot boundaries; and

· Building layout, which includes key openings (George River Council, n.d a & b).

Task 2: Non-compliance areas for the present venture according to the requirements of the George River Council

· Storm Water Management report/calculator, checklist and concept plan not included among the documentation provided. George River Council development application prerequisites state that storm water plans need to explicitly state where storm water will be discharged. In case of plans to link to extant systems, plans need to specify the location of the extant system and where the water drains to. Present documentation fails to display details on storm water management on the site.

· Acid Sulphate Soils (ASS) Report. The site’s soil is identified as class 5 acid sulphate. Therefore, the need for a report following ASSMAC guidelines and indicating whether or not ASS management is needed and why. An ASS management plan for the soil sample suggests ASS management is needed. 

· Also missing is a waste management plan. George River Council mandates its submission. Generally, this plan covers management of waste produced in the project’s construction and demolition phases, in addition to that produced from the development’s continued use.

Task 3: Analysis of arborist report

Firstly, the report fails to state which tree protection standard is applicable here (AS 4970-2009). Further, it offers general, and not specific, details and recommendations connected with major trees’ protection. For instance, it merely warns against excavating near the roots of trees. Despite this being a good recommendation, it fails to define the term ‘near’ explicitly. Consider trees’ different breast sizes and kind, besides prevalent environmental conditions, it would have been prudent to specify measurements with regard to how near excavations may be conducted. Hence, the report may be concluded to have been formulated by an inexperienced person not adequately familiar with the standard.