02 Dec Dual Occupancy development
The first thing I explain to clients when they come in to see me for a dual occupancy design is that they are no longer homeowners they are developers, at least in council view. Council will require a lot more detail for a dual occupancy and the contributions you are required to pay are much higher. The application is scrutinised in more when requesting variations to the council development controls and council will look much more closely at the finer details.
For instance, a little over a year ago I was requested by council to redesign the first floor of a duplex because a 1m x 0.6m kitchen window in a fibro cottage on the block next door wasn’t getting a full 3 hours of sunlight between 9am and 3pm on the 21st of June. It didn’t matter that the cottage was close to falling down, that it was likely to be redeveloped in the next couple of years or that the kitchen had other windows facing the back yard, in council’s opinion the developments controls had to be complied with.
The lesson I have learnt from 20 years of preparing DA’s for dual occupancy is to dot your I’s and cross your T’s. There is no use lodging an incomplete application or not providing a comprehensive justification statement for any variations, as council will simply send you application back with a rejection letter.
If you do lodge a comprehensive application, you can achieve fantastic benefits from a dual occupancy. I see a range of clients wanting to do dual occupancy, from small developers to people wanting a maximise the potential of their land and provide accommodation for ageing parents or children trying to get a start in life. You can generate extra income through rental or even short-term occupancy such as Airbnb.
Every council has different requirements for dual occupancy, so it is best to use a designer with experience in the area you want to develop. At SBD we have been preparing development applications for dual occupancy developments for over 20 years. We work with equally experienced consultants to insure your application has the best chance possible of achieving as quick an approval as possible.