As a building designer I know that council approval can be challenging to get and you must know the council guidelines well. It however does not mean that they cannot see through logic. Councils are the first ones to oblige if you have a convincing line of reasoning. The same happened in the case of a home I worked on recently.
Here I aim to narrate my experience and how I got the council to approve a home design that they had originally rejected.
The 40% rule for first floors
To begin, the council has set a guideline in regards to how storeys should be added to the ground floor. They feel that upper storeys should not (at any rate) exceed 40% of the ground floor space.
Balconies with roofs classified as floor space
Now, let us say you plan to build balconies on the first floor, those with roofs over them. Such balconies would then classify as floor space in the eye of the council. Naturally, it then becomes mighty difficult to follow the council guidelines and restrict the first floor size to 40% of the ground floor size.
Dealing with the council guidelines
The first thing I would let you into is the fact that even the council wants good, sturdy construction. The underlying principle to their guidelines is simple- homes should be built in a way that they confirm to the neighbourhood plan, come out as durable and renovations should limit themselves to alterations and not look for complete overhauls.
I fear I do not agree much with this last guideline and this is why I had to argue my case with them.
I told them that I will have to bypass their rules (though I put it in writing as politely as I could) regarding the 40% formula. The house would not cut the grade if I confined the upper story to 40% of the ground floor size.
However, even if I make the first floor equal or nearly equal to the ground floor in size, I would not hamper the adjoining constructions,
Councils are gracious adversaries
Let me tell you that councils are not easy adversaries to fight with but they graciously accept a plan if they find merit in it. They believed that the house was new and I was bringing down too much of its existing area to execute my plan. Their assessment process was not very kind to my first floor size either.
After looking at the site, the design drafts and the blue prints, they however agreed that I was not talking through my hat. Voila! They approved my renovations without laying any special conditions.
Understanding your council’s principles is the key
I can boast of a 100% success rate with Sydney councils. Perhaps I know the reason why. If you understand the underlying intent behind their principles and figure out what they are looking to achieve, it becomes quite easy to follow their rules.
Even if you want to challenge them, go ahead and do it. Just make sure that the weapon of your logic is sharp and they will have approved a home design for you before you know.
By the way, I have completed the project successfully and now it is among the most prominent houses of its neighbourhood.