Preparing a site plan
A scaled site plan is required for all development applications. The site plan must comply with the following criteria as a minimum.
The site plan must:
- Be drawn to scale, recommended scale of 1:200, showing all boundaries of the property including the boundaries and dimensions of the site
- The position of any existing or proposed building on the site; and the minimum distance between the proposed building or structure and front, side and rear boundaries of the site
- Show the location of any regulated tree on the site or on adjoining land that may be affected by the works
- Show how stormwater will be discharged from the property
- Show the location of any proposed retaining walls with details of required cut and/or fill
- Show driveways from adjoining roads onto the land and car parking spaces for occupants and visitors
- Indicate location of street furniture such as stobie poles and any side entry pits adjacent to the property
- For sloped land, contours of the land and finished floor levels of proposed building work in relation to the water table may be required.
If you require a site plan to be prepared on your behalf, contact a draftsperson or architect.
When selecting a scale it is important to consider the following:
- The size of your property. The scale selected determines the size of your drawings. When selecting your scale, it is important to ensure your site plan fits on a single piece of paper
- Consider the amount of information you need to include on your plan. Properties with a lot of information will need to be drawn at a larger scale to ensure that all information can be easily read. The smaller the number, the larger the drawing
- Elevation drawings generally need to be drawn at a larger scale to clearly convey the appearance of a building
- There is no such thing as a right scale provided all information is clearly legible. Pick a scale(s) suitable to your property.
1:100 – 1 centimetre = 1 metre
This scale may be appropriate for
- smaller properties
- elevation drawings
Example -

1:200 – 0.5 centimetres = 1 metre
This scale may be suitable for
Not suitable for
Example -

1:500 – 2 millimetres = 1 metre
Only suitable for
Not suitable for
- standard suburban sized allotments
- elevation drawings
Example -

1:50 – 1 centimetre = 0.5 metres
Only suitable for
Not suitable for
Example -
