Most people have never engaged a private town planner before, and many are uncertain what the process looks like, what they will receive, and how long it will take. A private town planner is not a council employee and does not make planning decisions. The role is to provide professional advice, prepare and manage development applications on your behalf, and engage with the assessment authority in a way that gives your project the best possible outcome.
The first conversation
An initial conversation with a planner is typically informal, a phone call or short meeting to understand the project, the property, and what you are trying to achieve. The planner's role at this stage is to understand the brief, identify obvious risks or constraints, and propose a scope of services.
Most planners will not provide substantive advice on the call itself. Substantive advice requires reviewing the property, the planning scheme, and the proposal, and that work is paid work, not free consultation. What you can expect from the call is a clear path forward and a written proposal for the next step.
The written proposal
A planner's written proposal sets out: the scope of work; the fee (or fee structure); inclusions and exclusions; assumptions; the timeline; and the planner's relevant experience. For a preliminary review, the proposal is usually a fixed fee. For a development application, the proposal is usually a project fee plus an hourly rate for additional work outside scope.
Reading the proposal carefully matters. The most useful comparisons between planners come from comparing what is included in each proposal, not just the fee headline. A lower fee for less work, or higher fee for more rigour, can be the right answer in different circumstances.
During the engagement
For a preliminary review, the deliverable is typically a written report covering the property, the planning framework, the proposed development, and the planner's assessment of approval risk. The report is often discussed at a follow-up meeting where you can ask questions and consider next steps.
For a development application, the engagement is longer and more iterative. The planner manages communications with the council, prepares the application material, coordinates input from other consultants, and represents you in any negotiations. The relationship is ongoing through the assessment period, typically 4–8 months depending on the application.
Getting the most from the relationship
The most valuable engagements are those where the client is clear about their objectives, provides accurate background, and engages early. Late engagement, after design has been substantially developed without planning input, is consistently less efficient and more expensive than early engagement.
Be honest about your timeline, your budget, and your tolerance for risk. A planner who understands these constraints can shape the engagement appropriately. A planner who has to guess will sometimes shape it wrongly, which costs both time and money.
A good planning engagement is collaborative, transparent and well-scoped. Where these conditions are met, town planners deliver substantial value. Where they are not, the relationship is harder for everyone, and the project pays the price.