Development enquiries

Council's CairnsPlan 2016 Property Report tool is an easy and convenient way to access planning scheme information that relates to a specific property. It includes:

• general property information;
• a summary of the applicable planning scheme zones, local plans and overlays;
• maps showing the applicable planning scheme mapping layers; and
• links to relevant sections of the planning scheme and other relevant websites.

The report is device responsive and can be viewed on a desktop computer, tablet or smart phone.

You can take a tour of the Property Report tool using the help button. Use the PDF button to print, share or save your property report.

The information provided in this report is made available for general reference purposes only and does not replace the need to obtain a Planning and Development Certificate or the need to seek professional legal or town planning advice in relation to the existing or intended use of the property.

If you are undertaking conveyancing, development or building certification, it is recommended that you conduct the necessary Land Record Searches. These may include (but are not limited to) building information searches, planning and development certificates and flood information searches.

Generate a Property Report

Other useful sources

• If you require flood levels for your property, please order a Land Record Search.  More information on flooding, flood zones and storm tide can be found at our Flooding webpage.
• Copies of Development Applications can be found at our online portal DA Online.
• Information on how to make a Development Application and How to Lodge a Submission on a Development Application is available on our Making and lodging a Development Application webpage.

Our website provides a range of information and tools on planning and development related matters. Please review these prior to submitting a General Development Enquiry.

If you have used our online tools and require more information on matters of a general nature, you can submit a general development enquiry.

General development enquiry

Note: Complex queries or queries seeking specific, technical information may not be appropriate as a general development enquiry. Our reviewing Officer will determine if your query is general in nature or whether formal pre-lodgement advice is required. Should the response type change, an Officer will be in contact within two (2) business days.

You can make a 20 minute appointment to meet with a Council Town Planner to understand:

• Whether your proposal triggers the need for a Planning Application
• What Planning Scheme codes may need to be considered
• If you need to notify your neighbours
• When you need to talk to a Building Certifier
• Where relevant, the steps you need to take in order to progress the proposal.

Appointments are offered on Wednesdays for 20 minutes (excluding public holidays and Christmas closure periods). Bookings close on the Friday prior each week. Appointments are available:

• In person meeting at Council's administration centre, 119-145 Spence Street, Cairns or
• Virtually via Microsoft Teams.

To help you to get the most out of a 20 minute General Enquiry meeting, at the time of requesting the meeting you will need to provide the location and details of the proposal (e.g. I seek to subdivide my land into 2 x 600m2 lots and obtain access via a new driveway).

The meeting will not give formal or in-depth responses or a position on the proposal. Due to the preliminary nature of a General Enquiry meeting, the response is limited to verbal only, at the time of the meeting. Where you are seeking detailed feedback about a development proposal, it is recommended that you submit a Pre-lodgement Enquiry Form ( PDF, 0.19 MB ) to Council.

Officers will contact you prior to the meeting to acknowledge receipt of your General Enquiry request.

Book an appointment

We offer a free pre-lodgement meeting where you can present your development proposal to a Council planner and technical officers (if required) for preliminary comment.

The service is not a formal part of the Development Assessment process but it helps identify potential issues before you lodge an application and contributes to a development application being well made.

A pre-lodgement meeting is generally preliminary in nature and is not a detailed assessment, nor does it pre-empt or determine the likely outcome of the assessment process. Pre-lodgement advice is provided in good faith and in no way binds a decision made by Council following the detailed assessment process, including consideration of public submissions.

Council’s pre-lodgement service is not suitable for development enquiries of a general nature.If you require a formal response, submit a request for formal pre-lodgement advice (see below). Our reviewing Officer will determine if your query constitutes a general development enquiry or whether pre-lodgement advice is required.  Should the response type change, an Officer will be in contact within five (5) business days.

The level of detail provided by Officers will be determined by the level of detail you provide. All matters for discussion should be raised prior to the pre-lodgement meeting, with additional matters raised during the meeting tabled as a follow up item.  A preliminary position, decision or technical advice will only be given on matters raised if sufficient information is provided.

A planner will contact you to confirm the date and time of the meeting within 5 business days .  Meetings are set for 1 hour maximum and will typically be held within 15 business days of receipt of request.

At the conclusion of the pre-lodgement meeting, minutes will be distributed with responses on raised matters.

Request a pre-lodgement meeting

A component of Council’s free pre-lodgement service is the issue of formal, written pre-lodgement advice involving input from Council planners, engineers and/or technical officers.

Pre-lodgement advice is generally reserved for a proposed development and site that a landowner and/or consultant is seeking preliminary feedback on prior to submission of a formal Development Application.

This service is not suitable for general development enquiries. Our reviewing Officer will determine if your enquiry constitutes a general development enquiry or whether pre-lodgement advice is required.  Should the response type change, an Officer will be in contact within five (5) business days.

The level of detail provided by Officers will be determined by the level of detail you provide to us. All matters for discussion should be raised prior to the Prelodgement Meeting, with additional matters raised during the meeting tabled as a follow up item.  A preliminary position, decision or technical advice will only be provided on matters raised if sufficient information is provided.

This service is not a formal part of the development assessment process but helps identify potential issues before lodging an application and contributes to a well-made application.

Request formal pre-lodgement advice