DA-Ready Architectural Plans for Council Submission

If you’re planning to build or renovate in New South Wales, you’ll need more than a good design idea.

You’ll need DA-ready architectural plans that meet council requirements and align with the NSW planning framework.

Without them, your development application may be delayed, refused or returned for revisions.

At Town Planning Sydney, we specialise in producing compliant architectural plans tailored to the expectations of local councils across NSW.

Here’s what every applicant needs to know before submitting plans for DA approval.

1. What does “DA-ready” really mean?

Many people assume any set of house plans is suitable for council lodgement.

That’s not the case.

DA-ready architectural plans must follow specific drafting standards, show required details and match local planning controls. We prepare every plan in compliance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation and your council’s Development Control Plan (DCP).

That includes correct scales, setbacks, site coverage, building heights and view impact diagrams. These details make the difference between smooth council approval and costly delays.

2. Each council has unique requirements for architectural plans

Different councils ask for different supporting drawings, overlays and levels of detail.

In some areas, you’ll need solar access and shadow diagrams.

In others, you’ll need material schedules or driveway gradient plans. We recently worked on a project in Randwick where council required detailed privacy screens for upper-floor balconies.

Our drafting team updated the elevation sheets and reissued the development application within 24 hours.

Because we deal with councils daily, we prepare plans to suit each area’s expectations from the start.

3. Your plans must align with zoning, height and FSR limits

A common reason for DA approval delays is inconsistency between design and planning rules.

Before we start drafting, our planning consultants review your site zoning, floor space ratio, minimum lot width and setback controls. This ensures the design fits within the NSW planning framework.

In a recent dual occupancy submission in Ryde, we identified a height breach during the concept stage. We adjusted the roof pitch and ceiling height in the plans, helping the client avoid a Section 4.6 variation request.

4. Clear, detailed drawings make council assessment easier

Council planners want to see consistency and clarity across all plans. Our DA-ready sets include site plans, floor plans, elevations, roof plans, landscape layout and shadow diagrams.

Each drawing is labelled correctly, drawn to scale and referenced in the supporting documents. In a multi-dwelling application in Wollongong, our client received DA approval with no RFIs because the documentation met every requirement upfront.

This kind of preparation saves weeks in back-and-forth revisions.

5. In-house planning and drafting avoids delays and miscommunication

At Town Planning Sydney, our architects and planning consultants work together from day one.

This ensures the design is not only visually appealing but also compliant with development application rules. In a recent heritage zone project in Burwood, we modified the facade to meet conservation area guidelines while retaining the client’s design intent.

The combined planning and drafting approach helped secure council approval without needing to rework external drawings.

6. We tailor plans for all project types and complexity levels

Whether it’s a single dwelling, granny flat, duplex, commercial fit-out or large subdivision, we deliver architectural plans ready for DA lodgement.

In one case, a client in Campbelltown needed urgent planning advice and compliant plans for a rural worker’s dwelling.

We completed the full plan set in three days, including site coverage analysis and driveway profiles. The development application was accepted by council with no amendments required.

Preparing DA-ready architectural plans requires more than drafting skill.

It needs an understanding of town planning, council expectations and NSW planning policy.

At Town Planning Sydney, we provide all three in a single, coordinated service.