Public notification is required for certain development applications to ensure that the public is aware of the development and they have the opportunity to make submissions about it. A properly made submission will secure for the submitter the right to appeal to the Planning and Environment Court about the assessment manager's decision.
Public notification is only required for an application for:
- a development that requires impact assessment
- a preliminary approval that affects a planning scheme.
The guide on public notifications (
881 KB) outlines the requirements under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and provides general information on how the forms are to be placed on land, in newspapers and provided to adjoining landholders.
To satisfy the requirements of the legislation, public notification must involve each of the following:
- A notice must be published in a newspaper circulating in the locality of the subject land. It is recommended that the newspaper selected is relevant to the application in terms of its distribution and target reader.
- A notice must be placed on the subject land.
- A notice must be given to the owners of all land adjoining the subject land.
The purpose of public notification processes is to inform the community and relevant stakeholders of the proposal and to give them the opportunity to:
- make submissions, including objections, that must be taken into account before the application is decided
- secure, for those that make a properly made submission, the right to appeal to the court about the assessment manager’s decision if they disagree with part or all of the decision.
Making a submission about a development application ( 224 KB) has been developed to assist people in making a submission in relation to either impact assessment or code assessment components of a development application.
The approved forms for public notification of a development application made under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 are available below.
SPA forms
| Form name | Form number | Effective date |
|---|---|---|
Public notice sign on land (template*) ( 53 KB) |
SPA form 4 | 1 March 2012 |
| Public notice advertisement for newspaper and adjoining land owners (template*) ( 56 KB) |
SPA form 5 | 1 March 2012 |
This template is to assist with creating public notices for certain development applications. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all requirements outlined in the approved form (including font styles and minimum letter heights) are met. If additional space is required, the overall size of the public notice should be increased. The department expressly disclaims all liability (including but not limited to liability for negligence) for errors or omissions of any kind whatsoever or for any loss (including direct and indirect losses), damage or other consequence which may arise from your reliance on the material contained in this publication. This information is issued on the understanding that the department is not, through the issue of this information, giving any legal or other professional service.
