Building and Development NewsletterEdition 1. April 2018 WELCOMEWelcome to the first Coffs Harbour City Council Newsletter for the building and development industry. This bi-annual newsletter aims to inform and update the industry on development activity levels, legislative requirements and changes, Council's policy and general information that may be of interest or assist with the development application and certification process. If you have any suggestions on topics or articles you would like covered in future editions please let us know by emailing us. DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN THE COFFS LGA The current level of building/development activity in the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area remains consistent as suggested by the total number of development applications received by Council so far this financial year. July 2017 - Feb 2018 - 696 DAs July 2016 - Feb 2017 - 718 DAs July 2015 - Feb 2016 - 683 DAs New dwellings make up 154 of these development applications which is only a fraction below the previous year. BUILDING INSPECTION BOOKINGS You can book a building inspection directly with Council by calling 02 6648 4555. You will need your Construction Certificate (CC) number (this is on your receipt) generally referred to as your CC number and/or a street address. The officer booking the inspection will ask for time, day and type of inspection required. Council generally accepts bookings up to 9.00am on the day the inspection is required. This is flexible if the inspecting officer has the capacity or there is a good genuine reason (eg. a sudden weather event that will impact on the site), this can be discussed while making the booking. Council also requires final inspections to be booked prior to 3.00pm the day before the inspection is required. NEW SUBDIVISION CERTIFICATE APPLICATION PROCESS Council’s application for subdivision certification process is being updated to be more in line with NSW legislation (Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000). What this means for the industry:
Anticipated benefits:
For additional information of the application requirements please refer to the Subdivision Certificate information on Council's website or contact Council on 02 6648 4000. ARE YOU BUILDING A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE SLEEP ? As of October 2017, NSW Legislation now includes the following additional fire safety inspections for class 2, 3 and 4 buildings. New critical stage inspections include: - Prior to covering of fire protection at service penetrations in building elements required to resist internal fire or smoke spread. - Prior to covering the junction of any fire-resisting construction bounding an apartment or residential suite . Additional inspection by Fire and Rescue NSW: To enable FRNSW the opportunity to inspect and assess the fire safety system works, the PCA must notify FRNSW as soon as practicable after receiving an application for an occupation certificate (OC). For additional information of the fire safety reforms please visit http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au or phone the certification team on 02 6648 4555. SHOCKING NEWS ABOUT STRUCTURES NEAR POWERLINES An important consideration when planning your next development project is to be aware of any nearby electricity infrastructure -no matter how large or small your proposed works may be. Whilst a lot of existing electricity infrastructure is not protected by a registered easement, such infrastructure is still protected by the Electricity Supply Act 1995 and treated in the same manner as infrastructure that does have a formal easement. When dealing with DA’s (and other applications), Council is required to seek advice from Essential Energy, depending on the proximity to electricity infrastructure (existing or future) and the character of the proposed works. Clause 45 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Infrastructure) 2007 describes the types of development for which Council must seek advice. Essential Energy will normally apply standards taken from the NSW Industry Safety Steering Committee document titled “ISSC 20 – Guideline for the Management of Activities within Electricty Easements and Close to Electricity Infrastructure”. Meeting these standards can quickly become an inconvenient and expensive experience for the developer who wanders into this area of regulation unprepared. It is much easier to do your homework and design a way clear of the electricity infrastructure constraints brought about from a Clause 45 referral. Worse news still may await the developer who carries out work without first obtaining the necessary approval –and subsequently bearing all costs of removing unauthorised works or carrying out rectification and infrastructure relocation work at the direction of Essential Energy. Councils tip: Do a proper site inspection analysis – don’t just rely on the registered plan. If in doubt - contact Essential Energy. HOME WARRANTY INSURANCE IN NSW Home Warranty Insurance, or Home Building Compensation Fund (HBCF) as it is now referred to in NSW, covers the homeowner (and subsequent owners) where the contract building work is incomplete or defective and the builder has either died, disappeared, become insolvent during construction or has failed to respond to a rectification order within 30 days of it being issued. The cover lasts up to 6 years from completion of the domestic building work or termination of the building contract.
Any building work over $20,000 requires Home Warranty Insurance under the Home Building Act 1989 and it is to be supplied to the Certifying Authority by the licensed builder. Owner Builders Licence If the value of the work exceeds $10,000 an owner builders licence issued by the Department of Fair Trading is to be supplied to the Certifying Authority. All owner-builders must provide evidence of basic work health and safety training and for work over $20,000 they will need to complete a owner-builder course.
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