What is Development Assessment?

Development Assessment is the assessment of Development Applications for new development in the Shire by Council.

A Development Application is an application made for consent to carry out development under the Planning Act 2016. A Development Application is necessary to change the use of land, subdivide land, carry out building, landscaping and other work unless what is proposed is Accepted Development under the Cloncurry Shire Planning Scheme.

Development is defined in the Planning Act 2016 as:

  1. Carrying out –
    1. Building work; or
    2. Plumbing or drainage work; or
    3. Operational work; or
  2. Reconfiguring a lot; or
  3. Making a material change of use.

Council assesses Development Applications against the Cloncurry Shire Planning Scheme and relevant State government instruments such as the South West Regional Plan.

Not sure if you need to lodge a Development Application? Please contact Council for Prelodgement Advice.

The Development Assessment Process

The process for Development Assessment is outlined Development Assessment Rules, a Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning document, that sets out the standardised Development Assessment process for Queensland.

Development assessment process

For more information refer to Queensland Government's Development Assessment Process or contact Council.

Pre-lodgement Advice

Council's Prelodgement Advice service is a free service available to all residents of the Shire and anyone interested in undertaking development in the Shire.

The purpose of Prelodgement Advice is to provide an opportunity for the enquirer and Council officers to informally consider the key issues relevant to the assessment of a prepared proposal prior to lodging an application. Any person utilising this service should accept that:

  • A pre-lodgement enables informal discussion and advice only. It does not constitute a detailed assessment and does not guarantee in any way the outcome of any subsequent assessment process.
  • Advice will be given on issues detailed by the enquirer. Other issues may be raised by officers during the assessment process. The enquirer cannot rely on Council officers to identify areas of non-compliance during the pre-lodgement process.

As a minimum, a person using this service should:

  • Submit a Request for Pre-Lodgement Form
  • Provide a Concept Plan drawn to scale and detailing the proposal including access, parking, open space, building height and setbacks from boundaries etc

Provision of Prelodgement Advice generally takes ten working days for simple enquiries.

A planning officer is available at our Council Administration Office to assist you with any general planning enquiries. Alternatively, you can email council@cloncurry.qld.gov.au

If you can't find the information you need or need more information, you can contact the Council Administration Office on 4742 4100.

Lodging a Development Application

The following is a guide to lodging a Development Application with Council:

  1. Check the property designation to determine how your proposed development will be assessed against the Cloncurry Shire Planning Scheme.
  2. Review if the proposed development will be subject to code or impact assessment and the relevant codes and Planning Scheme Policies.
  3. Prepare preliminary designs.
  4. Discuss your proposal with Council’s Planning Officer, or have a pre-lodgement meeting to determine if there any are issues with the proposal.
  5. Finalise plans and supporting documents.
  6. Complete the DA Forms and ensure all mandatory requirements of the forms have been met.
  7. Lodge your application with Council.

You can lodge your development application in person at Council's Administration Office at 38-46 Daintree Street, Cloncurry or lodge your development application by email. Applications by mail should be addressed to:

Attention: Assessment Officer
Cloncurry Shire Council
PO Box 3
Cloncurry Qld 4824

For all Development Applications you must provide:

  • a completed DA Form 1 – Development application details
  • the consent of the landowner to make the application
  • supporting information addressing applicable assessment benchmarks
  • legible plans of the development
  • the required development application fees (link to DA fees document)

Council cannot accept your application as properly made in accordance with the Planning Act 2016 if this information is not provided.