If you have been told that you require a Material Change of Use application to be lodged for approval with regards to your proposed development or building works, you might be wandering what exactly this term means.

A Material Change of Use is defined within the Sustainable Planning Act (SPA) 2009, and refers to any of the following;
• Establishing a new use on a property. This could include proposing the construction of a duplex on a house site, or even proposing a granny flat or secondary dwelling on your property for family members. A new use might involve wanting to build a medical facility, shops, office or industrial building.
• Re-establishing a use that has previously been abandoned, and not continuously carried out.
• A material change in the intensity of scale of an existing use on a property. An example being the proposal to introduce an extension to a house or other use, which is not considered to be a minor change in accordance with the relevant local government planning scheme.

We can assist you in preparing and lodging a material change of use application, if this is required for your proposal.