Planning Advice
General Planning Advice
The Town offers both formal and informal planning advice. To ensure we can assist you effectively, it’s helpful to have as much relevant information as possible when seeking guidance. The Town's Duty Planner Officer is available to provide advice during business hours with an appointment Book an Appointment with the Duty Planning Officer
How We Can Help
We can provide advice on:
- The development application process, including timeframes, application types, required documentation, and fees
- The requirements of Local Planning Scheme No. 1, the Planning and Development (Local Planning Schemes) Regulations 2015 (WA), and relevant council, local, or state planning policies
- Land zoning and permitted/exempt development types
- The Design Review Process
- Planning compliance matters
If your request requires additional consideration or a formal response, we may ask you to submit a request for written planning advice.
Requesting General Planning Advice
To request general planning advice, please contact us and ask to speak with the Duty Planning Officer.
Written Planning Advice
If your question requires research and consideration, or if you need a formal written response, we can provide written planning advice.
What Written Planning Advice Covers
We can provide written advice on:
- Approved land uses for a specific property
- Land use exemptions, including home offices and home occupations
- Policies or scheme provisions applicable to a particular development type or zone
What Written Planning Advice Does Not Cover
We cannot provide written advice on the following matters, as these must be addressed through the development application process:
- Specific advice on proposed variations for a development that has not been formally lodged with the Town, including whether a particular variation would be supported
- Compliance assessments for aspects of a proposal under the R-Codes or relevant planning policies
Additionally, we do not provide written planning advice for grouped dwellings, multiple dwellings, mixed-use, or commercial developments. These require a performance assessment against design principles, which can only be conducted during the development application process.
If you need advice on whether your single house or residential renovations meet the ‘deemed-to-comply’ provisions of Local Planning Scheme No. 1, the R-Codes, or local planning policies, you will need to request a Deemed-to-Comply Check instead.
Documents Required for Written Planning Advice
To submit a request for written planning advice, please provide:
- A cover letter outlining the nature of your request
- Relevant plans (e.g., site plan, floor plans, elevations) with natural ground levels shown. More detailed drawings will enable us to provide more accurate and practical feedback.
Timeframes & Fees
- Upon payment of the applicable fee, a statutory planner will review your request and provide a response via email within 10 business days.
- If further advice is required, a new request must be submitted, and the fee will be payable again.
Fees & Additional Charges
- The fee for written planning advice is $73.00. Our Planning Services Admin team will contact you for payment.
- If a significant amount of time is required to complete your request, an additional fee may be charged before the advice is provided.
Lodging a Request for Written Planning Advice
All requests must be submitted via email to mail@cambridge.wa.gov.au
Before submitting, please ensure:
- All required documents are ready.
- The total number of attachments does not exceed 10 files.
- The combined file size does not exceed 50MB.
If your attachments exceed these limits, please contact our Planning Services Admin team on (08) 9347 6000 for assistance.