All Topics / Help Needed! / Advice required for rezoning.

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  • Profile photo of C2C2
    Participant
    @c2
    Join Date: 2002
    Post Count: 518

    Have any developers here applied for a zoning change?

    I currently have a property of 11 acres that is zoned rural but has 3 titles.
    The house is on 1 acre, and there are two adjoining lots of 2 acres and 8 acres.

    I want to change the zoning to residential and sub divide the 8 acres.
    Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated or a company that can help.

    C2

    Rich in happiness and money is better than rich in money with no happiness.

     

    Profile photo of JFisherJFisher
    Member
    @jfisher
    Join Date: 2007
    Post Count: 143

    We wanted to subidivide our PPOR when we first bought it nearly 13 years ago and approached our local council, we couldn't as we already had the smallest area they would allow in the Rural Zone (now Farm Zone) of 1 acre. I'm not sure which state you're in, but in Vic all zoning is the State Government's responsibility and unless it is earmarked for rezoning anyway, I wouldn't hold your breath.

    Being able to subdivide may be different however, in our area at the moment, anything under 20 acres cannot be subdivided, but this may depend on local council laws so I would speak to the planning department of your local council about what you would like to do and they will point you in the right direction.

    Profile photo of Steve McKnightSteve McKnight
    Keymaster
    @stevemcknight
    Join Date: 2001
    Post Count: 1,763

    Hi,

    Zoning changes are rarely straight forward. It requires a length petition to council who must then contact neighbours and other affected parties.

    It’s not impossible, but it can certainly take six months, or more, for it to go ahead assuming everything is okay.

    As a rule, it can be a tougher ask to have something zoned from res to commercial as opposed to rural to rsidential. However, many councils are keep to protect so-called ‘green wedges’ and are reluctant to allow urbanisation of areas.

    I did a quick search for you and came back with the following information:

    Quote:
    Changing the zone of a property is a complicated process. Owners, occupants and neighbours must be notified and given the opportunity to raise an objection to the changes proposed. If these objections cannot be resolved, Council will request the Minister for Planning to appoint an Independent Panel. This Panel will hold an enquiry to determine whether the rezoning should be allowed to proceed and then present a Report to Council containing a recommendation on the proposed zoning.

    * Whether or not you are able to change the zoning of your property will depend on several things:
    * What the current zoning is
    * What the proposed zoning would be
    * Whether there are any Council strategies or policies that support either the existing zone or the proposed change
    * Whether there will be reasonable objections to the proposed zone by someone who feels they will be negatively affected

    Source: Darebin City Council

    As part of the rezoning, you may be required to pay quite heft fees and contributions to headworks (such as sewerage, roads, stormwater etc.)

    My suggestion would be to visit a local town planner and pay for a prelim meeting to discuss what you are planning to do.

    All the best,

    Steve McKnight | PropertyInvesting.com Pty Ltd | CEO
    https://www.propertyinvesting.com

    Success comes from doing things differently

    Profile photo of C2C2
    Participant
    @c2
    Join Date: 2002
    Post Count: 518

    Hi JFisher and Steve,

    Thanks for the advice.

    Some additional information

    The house is the last house on one side of the street and the property runs until the end of the street. 
    The property across the road is  a farm and takes up the whole length of that side of the street. 
    The end of the street runs into a reserve or nature park which leads onto the river. 
    Most of the other properties (4 or 5) in the street are about 1 to 2 acres in size.  
    I think it is the last remaining property of this size that isn't a farm within the towns borders.

    I'm not in a hurry to do the rezoning but want to set up a contingency plan for the near future 3-5 years and get the paperwork and everything done now.

    C2

    Rich in happiness and money is better than rich in money with no happiness.

    Profile photo of JFisherJFisher
    Member
    @jfisher
    Join Date: 2007
    Post Count: 143

    Your success may also depend on how small the lots are that you would like to subdivide. From the sounds of it you would be similar to us. I know that we were allowed to go no smaller than the 1 acre because there was no sewerage infrastructure; the lots had to be big enough to sustain septic/reln systems. Some councils allow smaller lots than others for this depending on the soil types etc.
    We were also within a irrigation network, in which the council were trying to discourage lots of land being sold off as large residential blocks etc. The change in the use of the land would have pushed the existing horticulture outside the irrigation network which would then require new infrastructure to be supplied for their water needs.
    If the surrounding lots are 1 -2 acres you could be in luck.

    Profile photo of millionsmillions
    Participant
    @millions
    Join Date: 2005
    Post Count: 355

    I would also talk to the local council and see what their plans are for the future. They may have an idea of future zoning changes and give you an indication of residents attitudes towards you increasing density or subdividing.

    Profile photo of C2C2
    Participant
    @c2
    Join Date: 2002
    Post Count: 518

    Hi All

    Thanks for the advice.

    Will post later about what happens and the processes involved.

    C2

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