When to Make Use of Our Site Planning Services in South Africa
Town-and-urban planners provide an extensive range of site planning services in South Africa, including the creation and submission of the site development plan and due diligence. This determines whether the particular piece of property can be used for the intended development purposes.
What is the Site Development Plan?
The plan consists of a set of documents detailing the various components of the development on the particular piece of property. It includes aspects such as building positions, property boundaries, access to and from the property, registered servitudes, height of the buildings, and more. It also includes a detailed description and graphical presentation of the layout. The development plan must be submitted to the city council for approval of the development in relation to the zoning regulations that cover the property. To this end, we recommend making use of our professional site planning services in South Africa.
When Will You Need to Submit a Site Development Plan?
As part of the town planning services we offer in South Africa, our town planners assess your particular development concept and advise on whether or not a site development plan must be submitted. Instances include, but are not limited to developments such as:
• Shopping malls
• Corporate office parks
• Industrial and commercial parks
• Conference centres
• Sport facilities
• Housing estates
• Holiday resorts
• Hospitals
• Fuel forecourts
A site development plan is normally required whenever there is a risk of a negative environmental impact or the potential of the development affecting the surrounding public areas such as walk spaces, transport hubs, and nature reserves. The zoning categories play important roles in whether or not development can take place on a particular property. The said property and area within which it is located must allow for the particular type of land use. As a rule of thumb, you will need a site development plan for a group-housing scheme.
We recommend making use of town planning services in South Africa right from the outset. This will minimise the risk of a delayed project as the result of not meeting the particular approval requirements regarding land use and zoning.
As part of our town planning services in South Africa, we handle many types of developments and application submissions to the city councils. Our town planners, for example, make sure that the site development plan includes details such as:
• Parking
• Internal roads
• Access to the property
• Impact on the safety of the surrounds
• Impact on the neighbouring properties
• Architectural style
• Landscape
• Provision for specific infrastructure
• Vehicle and pedestrian traffic or movement on the property
• Building materials
• Information or tables that provide details regarding the layout
Part of our planning services in South Africa entails the establishment of factors such as the biophysical aspects of the site, the current boundaries, proposed boundaries, elevation of the property and proposed elevation, load spaces, the position of communal areas, drainage, current vegetation and proposed changes, statistical information relevant to the traffic in the area, the relationship of the development with surrounding properties, and more.
For a group housing scheme, we, for instance, draft the schedule that includes the total size of the development, size of each unit, the total number of units and the floor size of each, the height of the buildings, and site coverage of each. In addition, the architectural drawings are included. To this end, we work alongside the respective professionals, such as architects and land surveyors to ensure the accuracy of information.
Due Diligence
The importance of due diligence cannot be overstated. Before you even purchase the property, you need to establish whether it can be used for the intended development. Buyers need to consider factors such as, location in relation to the 100-years, 50-years, and 10-years flood lines, the type of vegetation currently found on the property, whether protected fauna or flora is present on the property, what the zoning is for the said piece of land, whether it is possible to re-zone it for the intended use, what the water supply and soil conditions are like, elevation, and more. You will appreciate our site planning services in this regard, also in relation to the land-use management policies of the specific municipality in South Africa.
Get in touch with our professional town planners for more information and quotes on our range of site planning services in South Africa.