FastTrack development applications

FastTrack is our express development assessment path for low-risk, code-assessable development applications. Only suitably qualified and experienced consultants can lodge FastTrack applications.

Our assessment usually takes about 10 business days from entering the decision stage, or being “decision ready”. This means we have all the information we need to decide on the application.

Eligible developments

Several code-assessable developments are eligible for FastTrack assessment.

Material Change of Use

The following developments are eligible for FastTrack Material Change of Use assessments, if they either have:

  • a maximum of 500m2 gross floor area, including outdoor spaces, storage and display
  • a maximum of 10 rooms or units.

Adult store

Funeral parlour

Rural worker's accommodation

Agricultural supplies store

Garden centre

Sales office

Bulk landscape supplies

Hardware and trade supplies

Service industry

Caretaker's accommodation

Health care services

Shop

Car wash

Home-based business

Shopping centre

Club

Indoor sport and recreation

Short-term accommodation

Community care centre

Low-impact industry

Showroom

Community residence

Multiple dwelling (maximum 10 units)

Substation

Community use

Office

Telecommunications facility

Dual occupancy

Outdoor sales

Theatre

Dwelling house

Outdoor sport and recreation

Utility installation

Dwelling unit

Outstation

Veterinary service

Educational establishment

Parking station

Warehouse

Emergency services

Roadside stalls

Wholesale nursery

Food and drink outlet

Rooming accommodation


Planning scheme works

Building work in the Neighbourhood Character Overlay for a:

  • carport
  • dwelling house extension
  • dual occupancy.

Reconfiguring a Lot

  • Boundary realignment
  • Easements (maximum five)
  • Lots (maximum 10)

Operational work

  • Advertising devices (maximum 10)

Developments ineligible for FastTrack

A development application is ineligible for FastTrack if it’s:

  • submitted by an applicant who isn’t suitably qualified and experienced
  • submitted without the completed FastTrack application form, appropriate design certificate and attachment to the application form, as well as other required documentation
  • not properly made
  • impact-assessable
  • made under a superseded planning scheme
  • a combined application that involves more than a single listed use
  • submitted without a landscape concept plan
  • located in a Priority Development Area (PDA).

It is also ineligible if it exceeds nominated FastTrack application thresholds or involves:

  • land in a Neighbourhood Character Overlay, with a use other than a dwelling house or dual occupancy, or without a letter or memorandum of advice from the Heritage Advisor to support the proposed development
  • a state- or local-listed Heritage Place
  • a development that’s not listed as being eligible for FastTrack
  • a site that is not, or cannot be, connected to reticulated water and sewer infrastructure, or that involves trunk infrastructure.

If the development involves removing or damaging an existing street tree, you will need to include a letter of approval from the Parks and Recreation Branch.

Other considerations

You must provide a landscape concept plan and a FastTrack design for all eligible development, apart from:
  • caretaker’s accommodation
  • dwelling houses or units (including carports and extensions)
  • home-based businesses
  • roadside stalls
  • boundary realignments
  • easements
  • advertising devices.

Even if your development is eligible, we can exclude a FastTrack application at our discretion at any stage in the development application process. If we do this, we’ll let you know why.

Reasons might include that your proposal:

  • involves multiple complex technical reports
  • doesn’t include satisfactory supporting information
  • needs an infrastructure agreement
  • doesn't meet criteria, without prior written approval.

We might have to send you an Outstanding Issues letter or present your application at a special Council meeting.

These issues may not be apparent until your application reaches the decision stage.

The assessing officer will contact you as soon as practical if your application is ineligible for FastTrack assessment.

In these cases, we will assess it in line with the timeframes listed in the Planning Act 2016 (Qld).

Qualified applicants

Unless you get a written exemption from us before lodging a FastTrack application, only a suitably qualified and experienced person can lodge it.

This means the applicant must be a qualified town planner or have a qualification in a development-related field, such as:

  • urban designer
  • surveyor
  • architect
  • building designer
  • building surveyor
  • engineer
  • social scientist
  • solicitor.

They must also have experience in preparing, lodging or assessing development applications with or within Queensland Local Government.

Submitting your application

You can download a FastTrack application form from our online customer service portal. You’ll need to register first.

You may also need to download the:

When you submit your application, include:

  • FastTrack design certificate, where applicable
  • relevant forms
  • proposal plans
  • landscape concept plan, where applicable
  • relevant attachments to the application form
  • any supporting information or technical reports (each saved separately).

Make sure you have the landowner’s consent.

You don’t need a full town planning report if you’ve satisfactorily addressed all the matters identified on the FastTrack application form in an attachment.

Find out more about the development application process.

Application fee

The FastTrack application fee is the same as the standard fee at the time you lodge an application.

Refer to the current Planning and Development Group Register of Cost Recovery Fees and Charges to determine the applicable fee.

We will send you a ‘request for payment’ letter when you lodge the application. This will confirm the fees and include our payment options.

If your application is eligible for FastTrack, we’ll rebate 15% of the application fee once we decide on the outcome.

We may also apply infrastructure charges.

Assessment

We’ll allocate an assessing officer to your FastTrack application. They’ll get in touch, generally within two business days of lodging, to give you their name and contact details. They will be your single point of contact.

The assessing officer may need to refer a FastTrack application to specialist Council officers.

Conditions

We apply condition sets that ensure that any development permits we issue:

  • make obligations clear
  • use concise language
  • contain consistent referencing to approved plans and documents
  • have consistent headings and formatting
  • are consistent across the Region
  • are responsive to the needs of the development.

The assessing officer’s report will include any conditions.

Tips for success

You can help us assess your FastTrack application as quickly as possible by:

  • checking it against the eligibility criteria
  • completing all questions and appendices on the FastTrack application form, and addressing matters identified in an attachment
  • submitting the FastTrack application form, relevant design certificate and landscape concept plan, together with any mandatory and additional information
  • including a pre-application referral agency response, where relevant
  • including pre-lodgement meeting minutes, where applicable
  • including any infrastructure agreements required as a result of the proposed development.

Further information

If you need any help or advice about lodging a FastTrack application, contact one of our Technical Advice Officers.