Building and planning advice

Council provides development advice free of charge to assist with general town planning and building enquiries. If you would like advice on a site-specific proposal that requires a comprehensive response, you may need to lodge a Pre-DA meeting request form or submit a written enquiry. Duty officers will be able to suggest the best option for your specific proposal.

Council's Building Officers are available to answer phone enquiries and provide general advice from 8.30am - 10.30am Monday to Friday. Council's Duty Planning Officers are available to give advice by email from 8.30am – 10.30am Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The general advice provided by the duty officers can include:

• zoning
• allowable uses
• change of use of building
• the planning controls and policies that affect your property
• preparing a development application
• advice on where to find information about what may be able to be built without requiring an approval

Duty officers will try to provide information on zonings, development control plans and general development and planning requirements. However, the responsibility is on you to review the relevant planning policies and development controls. Duty officers may not always have the necessary details specific to your enquiry to provide definitive advice on some matters. Duty officers cannot guarantee that a site is suitable for a particular development or the development potential of a specific site, nor can a Duty officer provide advice regarding the merits or likelihood of approval for a particular proposal or if a structure requires approval. 

Written Enquiry

Enquiries submitted to Council by email will generally require a fee to be paid (see Council’s current Fees and Charges) prior to the enquiry being allocated to an officer for review and response. Written enquiries should be reserved for more complex matters or when you need a formal written response. Email council@ballina.nsw.gov.au and request a formal response to your enquiry.

Your enquiry must be clear and concise so Council can provide a response that will address all of your matters. A formal response will generally be provided within 15 working days. However, if this timeframe is unable to be met due to the complexities of the enquiry, you will be contacted and advised of any delay.