Under the Planning and Development Act 2005, local governments have 60 days to determine an application for planning approval, or 90 days if if the application has to be advertised. The 60 or 90 days does not commence until all the relevant information has been provided and the planning fees have been paid. The clock stops if the information provided is found to be insufficient to determine the application, which sometimes occurs following referral of applications to key state government agencies for advice.
The Shire of Collie endeavours to determine applications for planning approval within 42 days.
The process to determine applications for planning approval varies according to the proposed use and the zone and location in which it is proposed. Some proposals are able to be determined quickly by Shire staff acting under delegation, and others require advertising and/or referral to key state government agencies for advice, and then determination by Council.
A single dwelling that complies with the requirements of the Residential Design Codes of Western Australia does not require planning approval unless in a Special Control Area, but does need a building license.
The Western Australian Planning Commission is the decision-making authority for subdivision. Subdivision guides, forms and fees can be downloaded from the Planning Western Australia.
In residential areas, minimum and average lot sizes for subdivision are detailed in the Residential Design Codes of Western Australia, and for other zones they are usually detailed in Part 5.9 of Local Planning Scheme No. 5.
The application form and a guide to the information required to accompany an application for planning approval can be downloaded by clicking on the related documents panel on this page.