Granny Flat Approval - A guide.

[brazen]

I get quite a few enquiries from the lovely people in this forum regarding investing in granny flats and how the approval process works...

So last night I decided to create a bit of a 'logic-tree' which should help with people's research. It's a logical mind-map which shows step by step what to look out for and how to minimise the risk/costs.

It's quite easy to follow, just go to the 'START' position and follow the arrows towards approval. It deals with the costs and all matters to be considered when looking for an investment property for this type of future development.

This should hopefully serve as a good reference point for a lot of you guys.

Direct Link:
http://grannyflatapprovals.com.au/guide.html
The map is @ the bottom of the page but the top also has some helpful info regarding granny flat assesment.
You can also click on the attachment below but she's a little blurry (max size 100kb).

Brazen.

 

[BV]

Brazen
This is a nice useful chart.
On the tree issue, can the council refuse development because of a tree?

 

[brazen]

Brazen
This is a nice useful chart.
On the tree issue, can the council refuse development because of a tree?

Thansk BV.

Short answer on whether Council can refuse tree removal as part of a GF development- yes.

But the tree has to be quite significant (very large native gum, Jacarandah etc).
Some properties have an actual 'tree preservation order' placed on a specific tree and whilst not impossible, it can be quite difficult to get approval to remove these...I always make contact with Council's in these cases and we usualy work something out.

This is why it pays to check all this stuff out before going too far forward on costs.

Glad the chart helped

 

[65fbk]

Very useful, thanks for going to the effort.

Do you get involved in approving existing, unapproved granny flats by any chance?

 

[brazen]

Very useful, thanks for going to the effort.

Do you get involved in approving existing, unapproved granny flats by any chance?

Not really.
Perhaps speak to your local Council and ask them what they'd need to give you certification. Every Council has different ways of dealing with conversions, some are better than others.

 

[neil100]

Brazen
This is a nice useful chart.
On the tree issue, can the council refuse development because of a tree?

Thanks Serge - that's really useful.

Quick question, the section 149 appears fine for a property i'm interested in.

I am though unclear as it seems all mentions of the granny flats are that it is at the rear of the property - is this the case?

Is it possible to get approval for a GF on the front of a property?

Cheers
Neil

 

[brazen]

Thanks Serge - that's really useful.

Is it possible to get approval for a GF on the front of a property?

Cheers
Neil

It is in theory. I've done over 80 granny flats now and I'm yet to see it being possible. To quote the SEPP:
Setbacks to the front must be...."the average distance of the setbacks of the nearest 2 dwelling houses having a boundary with the same primary road and located within 40 metres of the lot"...otherwise 4.5 m

The adjoining dwellings are almost always arond 8-9 mtrs from the front boundary. There's no room to provide a granny flat plus 4.5 m to the front bdy, plus BCA requirement of 1.8 m between dwellings on the same lot.

I hope that explains it.

 

[Jacque]

Hi Serge

Thanks for that and nice work. Very useful map to hand on to clients looking to build granny flats. Great to talk to you recently too

 

[neK]

Hey serge, if the property doesnt slope naturally to the street cant you either get a pit or charge the stormwater out the street using a pump?

 

[brazen]

Hey serge, if the property doesnt slope naturally to the street cant you either get a pit or charge the stormwater out the street using a pump?

Hi Ken,

If the property slopes to the rear, an Engineer must design one of the following (depending on the specific Council):

1. Option 1: Dispersion Pit.
This is the best and cheapest option for low-lying blocks if there's adequate space for it. The problem is that with the new granny flat built, there's usually not enough room available to design a pit, that must be minimum 4 mtrs clear of all boundaries, structures and trees' drip lines (tree canopies).

2. Option 2: Charged System to the street.
This can work only if
(a) Council allow charged systems. Many don't.
(b) The fall from kerb to finished floor level (FFL) is less than 1 m (some Council's require even less). These systems are a good option but again rarely allowed and can be difficult to approve.

3. Pump Out Systems
Most Council's don't allow Pump-Out Systems and they are very expensive to design and install. The pump-Out system must have a fail-safe and backup system as part of its' design and it must be inspected at regular intervals. Not much fun.


If there's no easement available, most (if not all) Council's require that you try and get an easement first from downstreamn neighbours- a lengthy process of writing letters etc. You have to make a written offer- usually around $20,000 to $30,000. Then if accepted by the neighbour, there's the cost of registering and installing the digging the easement, reinstating the neighbours concrete driveway etc etc. Not good for granny flats.

If the neighbours refuse your offers, Council 'may' consider a pump-out system. The best option (and cheapest) is a dispersion system but with granny flats having to be minimum 3 m from rear boundaries, it doesn't leave a lot of room for absorpsion pits, as stated above.


Conclusion:
Be careful of properties that fall away from the street, UNLESS there is an existing Drainage Easement serving the property- please see the linked page in the Granny Flat Guide on my website. It shows you how to identify a drainage easement on the allotment.
http://grannyflatapprovals.com.au/guide.html

Good question btw Ken...got my typing fingers pumpin'. hehe.

 

[BuildingBlocks]

Very interesting read, thanks for putting together the flow chart. I found it a very easy way of understanding the end to end process, rather than just reading text

 

[brazen]

Very interesting read, thanks for putting together the flow chart. I found it a very easy way of understanding the end to end process, rather than just reading text

Awesome!
I'm glad it works for ppl. My first try at one of those

 

[neil100]

It is in theory. I've done over 80 granny flats now and I'm yet to see it being possible. To quote the SEPP:
Setbacks to the front must be...."the average distance of the setbacks of the nearest 2 dwelling houses having a boundary with the same primary road and located within 40 metres of the lot"...otherwise 4.5 m

The adjoining dwellings are almost always arond 8-9 mtrs from the front boundary. There's no room to provide a granny flat plus 4.5 m to the front bdy, plus BCA requirement of 1.8 m between dwellings on the same lot.

I hope that explains it.

It does help, thanks Serge.

 

[reeco]

+1

Nice 1 Serge

 

[brazen]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm glad it's doing some good.

 

[Rockstar]

Kudos Brazo, Great little chart with a lot of similarities to dual occ requirements. Great little resource for all.

All the best, RS

 

[BV]

brazen

Is the 3m setback rule from the rear boundary applicable only to granny flats or to all dual occ homes?
What if I was to subdivide the block?
Does the 3m setback rule still apply?

cheers

 

[Rockstar]

Hi Bill, depends what your council DCP says. Normally, setbacks to the side and rear depend on building height planes (BHP) relating to overshadowing. This is relative to a standard 1.8m fence shadow line. For a standard 2.4m framed house height on a flat piece (or downsloping) piece of land you should be able to setback 900mm - 1000mm from the boundary without breaking the BHP. Phone the duty planners at council. This is a simple question for them to clear up for you.

ps: where are you going to?

 

[BV]

Hi Bill, depends what your council DCP says. Normally, setbacks to the side and rear depend on building height planes (BHP) relating to overshadowing. This is relative to a standard 1.8m fence shadow line. For a standard 2.4m framed house height on a flat piece (or downsloping) piece of land you should be able to setback 900mm - 1000mm from the boundary without breaking the BHP. Phone the duty planners at council. This is a simple question for them to clear up for you.

ps: where are you going to?

Rockstar
Thanks for the reply.
I've got an IP in Liverpool Council which will fit a house in the backyard but I'm not sure what my options are.
The space between the existing house and the fence is 18.3x19.5m
so I either have to go for a granny flat or a double storie house but the 3m setback rule clearly limits the size of the house. 18.3m is the width

 

[Rockstar]

Have you looked here for any info? I am not familiar with your area but surely someone can help you out. Maybe you should call Brazen. His contact is on his website.