Help with making a submission to Toowoomba Regional Council

Extracts from Environmental Defenders Office (Qld) Inc. “Factsheet 7: Making submissions on development applications”.

A submission is a special type of letter written to an authority considering a development application; it sets out either (i) the submitter’s reasons for why a specific development application should be refused or made subject to conditions addressing the submitter’s concerns, or (ii) why the submitter believes an application should be approved.

A properly made submission should:
(1) be in writing
(2) be received during the submission period (in this case, by Wednesday 6th August)
(3) state the name and address of every person making the submission
(4) be signed by all making the submission
(5) state the grounds of the submission and the facts relied on to support those grounds, and
(6) be made to the assessment manager for the development application

Individual submissions are more effective than petitions or form letters.

Anyone can make a submission; you don’t need to be resident in the area.

Grounds for making submissions can include: impact of a development on amenity (e.g. dust, noise, light, odour, visual factors), community character, traffic, noise, air pollution, waste management, land contamination, need and economic factors, property values, ecological impacts, cultural impacts, social impacts.

Developments need to align with and further objectives set out in the local government planning scheme (under the Integrated Planning Act), and to comply with any codes (e.g. building codes, landscaping codes, character protection codes) relevant to the development.

Council’s decision regarding an impact assessable development must advance ecological sustsainability

If you make a submission, you will be notified of the assessment manager’s decision on the development application.

There is no cost involved in making a submission.


Before making a submission, it is suggested in the factsheet that you should view:

(i) the development application (TRC website, planning and building, pd on line, search application, 2008 / 3040)

(ii) the local government planning documents (these are available at cost from the Pittsworth Council Offices, either on CD for $20 or in report form for $50 )
(iii) any relevant codes

(iv) any relevant planning, ecological, cultural, traffic or other studies for the area.

Points to bear in mind:

facts must be provided to support the submission
use headings to group your points
suggest conditions which might be imposed on the development to address your concerns

The following is an example of how you might set out your submission. Please change any of the text to suit your own situation/opinion.


Please ensure that you either post or deliver you submission to ensure that it arrives before the close of business on Wednesday 6th August 2008, and please remember to sign it.