What Documents are Mandatory for a Commercial DA in NSW?

Your search intent is clear: you need planning advice about what documentation is required to get DA approval for a commercial project in New South Wales.

As a town planning company based in NSW we’ve helped business owners developers and homeowners with council approval for all types of residential and commercial development.

1. Site plan and locality plan

Every development application for a commercial project must include a detailed site plan that shows existing buildings contours and site boundaries.

A locality plan demonstrates how your site connects with surrounding properties roads and infrastructure.

Town Planning Sydney provides expert drafting services to ensure these plans meet council approval standards and streamline the DA process.

2. Architectural drawings and elevations

You need floor plans elevations and sections to explain the proposed building design.

These drawings support council decision-making by showing layout height scale materials and compliance with zoning rules.

As planning consultants we integrate drafting services with council submissions to avoid delays.

3. BASIX certificate (where applicable)

Certain commercial developments that include water or energy components may still require a BASIX certificate.

Although typically for residential work you may need to check if your project triggers sustainability obligations.

We offer NSW planning expertise to clarify whether BASIX is mandatory in your case.

4. Statement of environmental effects (SEE)

A SEE explains potential environmental impacts noise traffic overshadowing and how you propose to mitigate them.This is essential for council approval of commercial DA applications.

Town Planning Sydney prepares SEE documents in-house and integrates planning advice with architectural and drafting services so councils can assess impact clearly.

5. Access report and fire safety statement

Commercial developments must include an access report demonstrating compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act and Accessible Design Guidelines.

If your project involves change of use or new commercial use a fire safety statement may be required too.

Our firm as planning consultants ensures these documents are drafted by qualified professionals and correctly submitted to council.

6. BASIX water and energy estimates and sustainability assessments

Even if BASIX is not triggered it can be useful to include water usage estimates and energy efficiency measures in your development application.

This demonstrates best practice in planning advice and can assist with faster council approval.

We help you integrate sustainability measures into the DA documentation seamlessly.

7. Stormwater and drainage management plan

A stormwater plan is mandatory to show how water will be managed on site without negatively impacting neighbouring properties.

This includes detention systems site grading and discharge to council infrastructure.

We work alongside civil engineers to produce compliant documentation that supports DA approval.

8. Traffic and parking report

A traffic report is often required for commercial developments to assess impact on local roads parking demand delivery access and pedestrian safety.

This report helps councils understand how your development might affect traffic flow or public safety.

Town Planning Sydney engages transport specialists to produce reports that meet traffic assessment criteria used in NSW planning.

9. Heritage impact statement (if applicable)

If the site is heritage listed or adjacent to a heritage item a heritage impact statement is mandatory.

This explains the design approach how it respects heritage values and the conservation strategy.

We collaborate with heritage specialists to deliver these assessments as part of your DA application.

10. BASIX or sustainability checklist for demolition and construction

Although not always mandatory after construction is completed you generally must supply a compliance certificate showing BASIX or equivalent standards were met during construction.

This helps confirm the development application has complied with planning requirements.

In each scenario Town Planning Sydney delivers comprehensive planning advice combined with professional drafting and architectural services to compile all mandatory documents for DA approval.

Our town planning company based in NSW has streamlined development application processes for commercial projects from small offices to mixed-use complexes.

For example when a client proposed a new café and retail space in the Sydney inner west our team prepared a SEE traffic report architectural drawings and access statement and achieved council approval within statutory timeframes.

By blending planning consultant expertise with in-house drafting design and DA support you benefit from coordinated documentation and clear communication with council.

If you need help identifying which of these documents apply to your commercial development we offer tailored planning advice and can prepare every item required for development application submission.