Understanding Council Rules and Approvals can be challenging. A minefield of terminology and traps, it’s essential you have an industry insider to help you navigate it confidently.

Enter Peta Charles, Founder of Brisbane Town Planning.

Brisbane Town Planning promises to make designers look good. How? They say …
“It’s simple, we actively work to get their jobs out of a Town Planning application (aka DA). This saves their clients time and money. Which as you can imagine, earns them some serious kudos, brownie points, bragging rights and general good vibes with their clients.”

It’s this straight-talking approach that put Brisbane Town Planning, and its founder, Peta Charles on my radar initially. That, and the huge amount of free videos, audio and written clips that they’ve produced to help industry and homeowners understand the nuances of town planning legislation in Brisbane, and keep us across changes and challenges when helping clients get their projects across the line. It’s really rare to see a Town Planner seeking to lift the lid on the industry like Peta does, and she certainly lives by her belief that ‘knowledge is power’ in how she generously shares her industry expertise and experience.

And she does it with a lot of humour and quirk as well. I know firsthand just how dry town planning legislation can be, and how terminology-rich it is as well. It can be bamboozling for the uninitiated, and super difficult to get a clear picture of what applies to your project and what doesn’t.

Peta is my second guest on this jam-packed podcast episode. She shared it with Caroline Jean-Baptiste, from Mortgage Choice Fortitude Valley (Brisbane), QLD. (You can learn more about Caroline by heading here).

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE:

Peta has a great way of breaking through the bureaucracy and is passionate about being transparent/honest and educating people about the inner workings of the town planning process, so they don’t get hoodwinked into going down a path that isn’t right for them.

For those listening outside of Brisbane, and Australia … Brisbane is the capital and main urban centre of Queensland. Brisbane metro has a population of roughly 2.5 million, and it’s Australia’s 3rd largest city after Sydney and Melbourne. Its population has grown at a similar rate to Sydney’s over the past few years – outstripping Melbourne’s population growth. The city’s CBD is located on a river that snakes its way through, and then extends out into established suburbs dominated by weatherboard elevated homes known as “Queenslanders” … with then newer suburbs having a mix of housing from 1950s, 60s and 70s brick homes, through to newer homes as well.

I personally lived in Brisbane from 2001 to 2014, a time when the city was booming and it was great to be an architect because so much building was occurring. What initially struck me, having grown up in Sydney with a huge range of different councils and council conditions, was the enormity of Brisbane City Council’s area of jurisdiction. Brisbane City Council is actually the largest local government in Australia, and I remember thinking – awesome – one council, one set of rules to remember, simple hey!? But no, the town plan of Brisbane still responds to the differences and nuances of its range and variety of suburbs and building typologies, and has a variety of codes to know and consider with any project. And it’s been through a raft of changes, and continues to respond to the demands of a growing city and the protection of its natural and built assets.

Peta has some great advice to share wherever you’re located, and tips on how to deal with councils so you can get your project goals achieved, and satisfy the criteria of your local authority.

I ASKED PETA CHARLES, BRISBANE TOWN PLANNING, THESE QUESTIONS …

• Tell us a bit about Brisbane Town Planning – why did you form it, how long has it been in operation, and what kind of projects do you mainly work on?
• You have a knack for taking what is quite a dry subject and making it more entertaining, whilst distilling it down into key facts and issues. What motivated you to do this?
• Why do you think it’s so important to start your project by finding out your local rules?
• Can you share some mistakes you’ve seen homeowners make, or assumptions about their projects, that have got them really stuck and into trouble?
• How do you help homeowners do due diligence on their area before they buy or start their projects?
• House Dating Videos: can you tell us about what they are and why you started sharing these?

Peta is a super clever bunny, and seriously passionate about you having the tools and knowledge you need to navigate your council rules and approval simply and with confidence.

Listen to the episode now. And be sure to get in touch with Peta to let her know you heard her on Undercover Architect, and to thank her for all she shares!!

In the full interview, Peta also shares information on …

• why architects and designers may not be the best professional to prepare your town planning application
• what to do if council says ‘no’ to your application to improve your chances of getting your project through
• things to know about the Traditional Character Overlay in Brisbane City Council
• Acceptable Solutions vs Performance Solutions, and why do they matter to your approval

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS PODCAST:

Visit Brisbane Town Planning’s Website >>> CLICK HERE

Follow Brisbane Town Planning on Facebook >>> CLICK HERE

Follow Brisbane Town Planning on Instagram >>> CLICK HERE

Check out Brisbane Town Planning’s LinkedIn Profile >>> CLICK HERE

Check out Brisbane Town Planning’s YouTube channel >>> CLICK HERE