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Change of Use
Changing the lawful use of a premises (e.g. retail → café, office → residential).
A$5,000–80,000 build cost8–24 weeks DA timeline
Typical pathway by state
NSW: DA — depending on existing use rights + zone permissibility
VIC: Planning Permit + Building Permit (if works) — often a Section 9 of zone applies
QLD: Material Change of Use (MCU)
Required documents
- ✓Statement of Environmental Effects
- ✓Existing + proposed floor plans
- ✓Hours of operation statement
- ✓Acoustic Report (for noisy uses)
- ✓Waste Management Plan (per new use)
- ✓Traffic / parking assessment
Optional / triggered docs
- •Fire Engineering (if NCC classification changes)
- •Accessibility upgrade plan
Typical consultants
Key compliance checks
- ▸Existing use rights — what was lawful previously?
- ▸Permissibility in current zone
- ▸NCC classification change → may trigger upgrade requirements
- ▸Hours of operation impact on amenity
- ▸Acoustic impact on adjoining residential
- ▸Parking demand vs supply
- ▸Accessibility upgrades triggered by use change
Notes
Change of use can trigger major hidden costs — NCC upgrade if building class changes (e.g. Class 5 office → Class 9b cinema = upgrade entire fire/egress). Existing use rights are often the deciding factor.
Recommended pack for this project type
Standard DA Pack A$499