Understanding comprehensive guide lists is a critical process, especially when it comes to Section-149 Certificate for compliance with the SEPP. But what's SEPP?
SEPP
SEPP is the NSW State Environmental Planning Policy for Affordable Housing (granny flats). It is often abbreviated as ARHSEPP or AHSEPP. Which means Affordable Rental Housing SEPP. The AHSEPP was made by the NSW Government in the year of 2009 which allows many properties to gain approval for a granny flat. Specifically, developers and granny flat owners benefit a lot through this compliance system with SEPP. Let's see what the benefits are:
• Compliance with AHSEPP saves time by allowing a NatHERS accredited assessor in NSW to approve granny flat proposals just within just ten working days.
• It helps a granny flat owner to save money because he/she can get the cheaper approval as a Complying Development Certificate (CDC). This means you do not have to apply for separate Development Approval (DA) and Construction Certificate (CC). Moreover, the conditions of consent are generally more relaxed in the case of a CDC when compared to combined DA and CC.
What to Look for in your Section 149 Certificate
Every Council issues Section 149 Certificates that look different from each other and they appear to be difficult to understand. Therefore, you do not have to focus on the entire certificate, rather look for these things:
• Is it Residential Land?
The first two pages of the certificate lists the residential zoning of an allotment. This is, Residential 2(a) but may also be listed as 2(b), 2(c). Some Councils refer to the SEPP listings as ‘Residential R2’, etc. Keep in mind that the pages for residential will be marked with “R” or Residential.
• Is the property allowed to do development under The General Housing Code?
This is a very important in every Section 149 Certificate. Most of the Councils list this question along with answer on Page 5 of the Certificate.
• Is the property a Flood Prone Land?
This is a very important question that can really affect the whole granny flat development. If the site is flood affected land, there is still a chance that you can build a granny flat. You just need to have some special checks with your Local Council.
In general, an assessment team can help you understand each of the compliances appropriately