Services

The Department of Town & Country Planning has a number of responsibilities under the Town Planning Act and Subdivision of Land Act. In addition, the following services are available to the public.

Developments and subdivisions that are considered by the Department of Town & Country Planning are kept on file for future reference. Approved plans can be made available to landowners and leaseholders to view or copy. Building Plan searches are carried out each week on Fridays, and results are available the following Tuesday.

To request a Building Plan search, the following must be presented at the Department’s front counter:

1. Details of the subject site (lot-on-plan number, land name, or CT number)
2. Evidence of legal interest in the subject site:
   1. For freehold land, the certificate of title, or
   2. For Native or Crown land, the lease.
3. The name of any previous owner and/or application number, if known.
4. A $15.00 search fee, for which a receipt will be issued as proof of the request.

Once the appropriate plans have been located, the person who requested the search may (on the Tuesday following the Friday search), return with their receipt to:

1. View the plans on file in the Department of Town & Country Planning office;
2. Request that the plans be copied at an additional charge of $1.40 per A4 page and $2.00 per A3 page; or
3. If the requested plan is larger than A3, request to borrow the file for the purposes of making a copy (commercial copy and print businesses offer A2, A1 and A0 copying and printing services).  To borrow the file, it is necessary to give photographic identification (passport, driver’s licence, FNPF card or similar). The file must be returned to the Department within 3 business days.

Occasionally, due to the age of the records or other circumstances, building plans may not be found in a search. Note that the search fee is not refundable.

The staff of the Department of Town & Country Planning provide planning advice to members of the public, and to Ministers and Parliament as required.

♦ Advice to Public
The staff of the Department frequently provide information to landowners, leaseholders and other interested members of the public about various aspects of town planning, development and subdivision. This includes:

• The requirements for different types of development.
• The development possibilities of particular zones and individual sites.
• The approvals required for different types of development.
• The forms and fees required to make a particular application.

Advice may be obtained over the telephone, or in the office. People wishing to speak to an officer in person are advised to make an appointment in order to avoid unnecessary delays. There is no fee for information provided by the Department about the requirements for development.

♦ Advice to Parliament
As the agency of government responsible for town planning and subdivision, the Department of Town & Country Planning provides briefings and advice, as required, to Ministers and to Parliament on a range of planning and development matters.