Statements of Environmental Effects for NSW house DAs

Lodge a DA council won't send back.

Send the plans and reports. In two business days you get a council-ready Statement of Environmental Effects, checked against the LEP, the DCP and every page of the package, with the issues councils ask about marked up before you lodge.

$590 a DA with no GST, your first one freeIf council asks for more information on a planning matter, we draft the reply at no extra cost until the DA is decided.

Send a DA for a free SEE

Oscar Higson-Spence reviews every report before it goes to you.

Site plan of a house DA, marked up in red Four issues are circled: a 24 metre Forest Red Gum on Biodiversity Values map land that may need a biodiversity assessment report; a granny flat wall about 3.3 metres high against a 3 metre limit; shadow diagrams with no date, no neighbours and no equinox; and a title block note that the site is flood prone land, although it is not on the LEP flood map. Dwelling 2 storeys Granny flat 59.75 m² T16 Access handle N DA-07 Shadows 9am, 12pm, 3pm Street Proposed dwelling and secondary dwelling Canterbury-Bankstown Lodged July 2026 DA-01 Site plan Scale 1:200 at A3 Rev F Notes Site is flood prone land. Drawn by the builder 24m red gum on BV map. BDAR? Not in the SEE wall 3.3m, max 3m no date, no neighbours, no equinox not on LEP flood map?
A real house DA lodged in July 2026, marked up from the public plans. The builder's SEE said it "complies with all relevant LEP & DCP requirements". On day 91 it was still with council.

Why DAs stall

Most small DAs are approved in the end. The cost is the months in between, and much of that is council asking for things the package should already have answered.

How it works

For builders, designers and drafters who lodge their own house DAs.

  1. Send the package

    Plans, survey and any reports, as you'd upload them to the Planning Portal.

  2. Get the markup first

    We check every control that applies to the lot and every page you send. Issues come back first, so you can fix the plans before you lodge.

  3. Lodge with the SEE

    The SEE is in council's format. If council asks for more information on a planning matter, we draft the reply.

Your first SEE is free

Tell me about a DA you're about to lodge, or one council has sent back. I'll reply within one business day with where to send the plans.

Oscar Higson-Spence

I'm Oscar Higson-Spence. Software reads the plans and the planning instruments, which is why the report is fast and the price is fixed. I check every report myself, and you deal with me directly.

Lodging more than a few DAs a month? Ask about a monthly rate.

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Request received

I'll reply within one business day.

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Questions

Which DAs do you take?

Dwelling houses, alterations and additions, granny flats, dual occupancies, pools and outbuildings, anywhere in NSW. For larger or unusual projects, ask first.

What's included in the $590?

$590 is the full price, with no GST on top. It covers the SEE, the marked-up issues, and drafted replies to council requests for more information on planning matters until the DA is decided. Specialist reports such as a BDAR, flood study or arborist report aren't included; if one is needed, the markup says so before you lodge.

Who signs the report?

An SEE doesn't need a registered planner's signature in NSW. I review and stand behind every report, and if a DA needs a registered planner, for example for a clause 4.6 variation, I'll tell you.

How is this different from a $149 SEE generator?

A generator fills a template from the map. We read the local clauses, the SEPPs and every page of your package, and we keep going until council decides.