Choosing the right town planner can be the difference between a smooth approval and a costly, drawn-out process. The problem is that most people have never hired a town planner before, don't know what to look for, and are approaching the decision at exactly the point when they have other pressures on their mind — a property purchase, a lease commitment, a building schedule.
This guide is a straightforward rundown of what actually matters, what questions to ask, and what to watch out for — written honestly, because we think that's how it should be.
What a town planner actually does
A town planner's job is to navigate the planning system on your behalf. In practice, that means:
- Reading and interpreting the planning controls that apply to your property
- Advising on whether your proposed development is permissible, and what approval pathway applies
- Identifying constraints — heritage, flooding, ecology, bushfire — that affect what you can do
- Preparing the planning documentation required for a DA (particularly the Statement of Environmental Effects)
- Managing council correspondence, RFI responses and conditions of consent
- Where needed, engaging with government agencies, attending pre-DA meetings and representing you through the process
A good town planner doesn't just do paperwork. They give you strategic advice that shapes how you approach your project from the start.
The most important quality: local knowledge
NSW has over 120 councils, each with its own LEP, DCP, and assessment culture. What works at Inner West Council doesn't necessarily work at Northern Beaches Council. How Heritage NSW responds to applications involving Victorian terraces in Paddington is different from how it handles Interwar bungalows in Leichhardt.
This matters because the same proposal, equally well-documented, will be received differently depending on the planner's relationship with and understanding of the specific council. Local knowledge means knowing:
- Which controls the assessment team scrutinises most
- How to frame a justification for a variation that this particular council will accept
- When a pre-DA meeting is worth pursuing and how to use it effectively
- Which heritage advisor is reviewing your file and what they're likely to care about
Ask this question: "Have you worked with [council name] recently, and can you tell me specifically how they approach [your project type]?" A planner with real local knowledge answers immediately and specifically. One without it gives a general answer.
What to look for when choosing a planner
Qualities that matter
- PIA accreditation (RPIA, MPIA or FPIA) — confirms professional standards and education. RPIA (Registered Planner) is the highest individual grade.
- Direct experience with your specific council area
- Experience with your project type — heritage terraces, strata, commercial change of use, subdivision etc.
- They give you honest advice about risk, not just what you want to hear
- Clear fee proposal in writing before work begins
- They are the person doing the work — not a senior planner who quotes you and hands you to a junior
- Responsive — you should be able to reach them and get a real answer
- References or reviews from previous clients
Questions to ask before you engage
Use the initial conversation — which most good consultancies offer for free — to ask these:
About their experience
- How many DAs have you managed with [council name] in the last two years?
- Have you worked on [your project type] in this zone before?
- Who specifically will be working on my project?
About your project
- Is my proposal permissible in this zone?
- What's the right approval pathway — DA or CDC?
- What are the main risks or constraints I should know about?
- What reports or consultants will I need?
- What's a realistic timeframe?
About fees and process
- Can you give me a written scope and fee proposal?
- What's included and what might add cost?
- How do you communicate with clients during the process?
A planner who deflects these questions, gives vague answers, or is unwilling to put their fees in writing before starting work is not the right planner for your project.
Red flags to watch out for
Warning signs
- Guarantees of approval — no one can guarantee a DA outcome, and anyone who does is being dishonest
- Unrealistically short timeframes — if a planner tells you a council DA will be done in 4 weeks, they either don't know the process or aren't being straight with you
- No written fee proposal — scope creep and billing disputes start here
- They can't answer specific questions about your council or project type
- A senior planner sells you and a junior does the work — ask directly who will handle your file
- Hard sell tactics — good planners don't need to pressure you
- No verifiable reviews or references
When to engage a town planner
The answer is almost always: earlier than you think.
The most common and expensive mistake people make is engaging a planner after major decisions have already been made — the architect's plans are done, the lease is signed, the property has been purchased. At that point, your options narrow. A planning problem that could have been designed around early costs money to fix later, if it can be fixed at all.
Engage a town planner:
- Before you buy or lease — to understand what the planning controls allow before you commit
- Before you engage an architect — so the design brief is informed by what the planning system will accept
- When you're unsure if you need approval — a quick check costs very little and saves a lot
- When you've received a council notice, RFI or objection — and need expert advice on how to respond
- When you're facing a dispute or refusal — and need to understand your options
The difference between a cheap planner and a good one
Planning fees are not a commodity. The difference between a planner who charges $3,000 for a Statement of Environmental Effects and one who charges $8,000 is not always the SEE — it's the thinking behind it, the relationships that inform it, and the track record that validates it.
A well-written SEE that anticipates council's concerns and positions your proposal correctly is worth significantly more than a cheaper document that requires multiple rounds of revision or contributes to a refusal. The goal is a smooth approval, not the cheapest fee on the way to an uncertain outcome.
That said, fees should always be transparent and proportionate to the scope of work. Ask for a written proposal. Understand what's included. And don't hesitate to ask why something costs what it costs.
Why local matters in NSW
NSW has over 120 councils, each with its own culture, priorities, and interpretive approach to the same state legislation. A planner who knows the quirks of a Woollahra heritage DA thinks differently from one who has spent years working across Western Sydney or the Northern Beaches. That accumulated council-by-council knowledge is hard to replicate.
We are based in Balmain and work across metropolitan Sydney and throughout NSW. Wherever your project is located, we bring genuine familiarity with how the relevant council and state agencies operate — and we're honest with you when a job sits outside that.