Auburn Council’s development assessment unit is responsible for the assessment and regulatory control of all types of development carried out within the Auburn Local Government Area. Anyone who wishes to carry out work on buildings or land may be required to, firstly, secure planning permission. Planning permission is necessary for a wide rage of developments, from large scale redevelopments and extensions to minor alterations to buildings. This could include satellite dishes, in certain instances.

The purpose of the planning system is to protect amenity and the environment in the public interest. Planning legislation, therefore, control the use of land, the size and appearance of new buildings, their impact on neighbours.Town Planning is about organising the way land and buildings are used so that as many people as possible, including generations to come, benefit. The law, together with government guidance and advice, requires Councils to prepare 'development plans'. These plans are then used to guide decisions about whether or not new uses and buildings are allowed.

Auburn's development plan is called the Local Evironmental Plan and the way uses and buildings are controlled in each area are called 'Development Control Plans'. By law, Development Control has to be guided by the LEP and DCP’s and related legislation.

The Development Assessment Unit is also responsible for ensuring compliance is met with Council issued approvals and policies and in accordance with the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 including construction certificates. Professionals employed within the department include, Town Planners, Building Surveyors and Regulatory Compliance Officers.

Before undertaking and building or development you will need to know what type of consent you require. The following guide lists the different consents your development may require:

• Exempt Development includes simple structures like barbecues or small pergolas and uses that have a minimum impact on the environment. Please contact Council's Customer Service Department on 9735 1222 to see whether your proposed development is exempt. If it is you will be informed of any requirements and provided you comply with those requirements you can proceed with your development.
• Complying Development means small scale low impact development that can be certified quickly by the Council. Examples of complying development may include swimming pools, single storey dwellings or additions,  internal or external alterations to industrial buildings or internal alterations to commercial buildings. Our Customer Services Department (tel. 9735 1222) provides checklists to see if your proposed development qualifies as complying development. Once you have completed your checklist and verified that it is complying development, then detailed plans can be submitted to the Council along with a complying development application. The application will require the consent of the land owner and payment of Council fees and a builders’ long service leave levy.
• Local Development means larger or large scale development and will require development consent and a construction certificate before works can commence. To ensure that applications meet the objectives of development controls and make a positive contribution to the character and amenity of the neighbourhood, it is recommended and encouraged to use the services of architects, town planners, engineers, landscape architects and other specialists to undertake the site analysis, design of development and to prepare supporting documentation. Consultation with neighbours and council officers before completing the proposal is strongly advised. The amount of information required for a development application will vary depending on location, scale and complexity of the proposal.

The development assessment process involves the submission to Council of a Development Application that seeks the consent of Council for such works, but not limited to, building or construction work, landscaping, use of land or building, subdivision, strata, demolition and signage. Details on the requirements for development applications is divided into two categories:
1. Residential Houses/alterations and ancillary structures eg pools, sheds
2. Medium to Large projects for Residential, Commercial, Industrial

Explanations in relation to the above are contained in the Development Application Guides including the requirements for the submission of a Development Application.

A Construction Certificate (CC) application is required for all building work that requires development consent, as well as for any subdivision construction work associated with a subdivision.

Essential services are safety installations in a building that assist in reducing risk to life and property in the event of an emergency for example a fire. They include (but not limited to) equipment and protective devices such as fire hose reels, emergency lighting and fire doors. The Building Code of Australia, for new or alterations to existing developments, requires the installation of essential services and upon installation the owner or agent must issue an Installation Certificate stating that the services have been inspected by a competent person and installed to the relevant standards. Every twelve months after the Installation Certificate is issued a Maintenance Certificate indicating that the particular essential service is being maintained must be prepared and forwarded to Council.