Cost of Submitting DA's with Non-Compliant Designs

A large number of clients choose to submit development applications without having an Access Consultant or BCA Consultant review the drawings for compliance with the BCA/NCC and without an Access Report or BCA Report report to support the proposed development as they are either trying to save the upfront costs or the common excuse “we did a similar project 10 years ago therefore we are confident it will pass council”.

Typically what occurs if the development application is submitted without the relevant reports, when the assessment officer picks up the file to review the documents for approval and find they are not included as part of the application, they contact the applicant and request for additional information. Alternatively there have been cases where the development is approved with a condition applied to the development consent to address this must be addressed at the CC stage.

It is generally daunting for an Access Consultant or BCA Consultant to be engaged after the application has been submitted as this may trigger a redesign of the proposed development which creates additional work for the architect or other consultants involved in the project i.e. landscaping architect, engineers etc.

Similarly at the CC stage where the plans are stamped, it is quite a difficult task for an Access Consultant or BCA Consultant that is engaged to review a design for compliance with the BCA/NCC as any major changes may trigger the need for a s4.55 (i.e. s.96) application and creates additional work for the other consultants involved, not to mention additional fees incurred by the client.

We highly recommend for peace of mind, preventing delays and for a streamlined application process that an Access Consultant or BCA Consultant review the drawings for compliance with the BCA/NCC and an Access Report or BCA Report report is submitted with the development application.