Urban Development Planning Services in Demand
If you want to subdivide a property, consolidate land, apply for a zoning certificate, or if you require advice on urban-infrastructure development, you will appreciate the range of urban development planning services available. Below is an introduction to some urban development planning services, giving you an idea of the scope of professional help that is available.
Rezoning
You may have a development in mind for a particular piece of property. However, the land use allowance for the particular area and property does not provide for the type of use intended. In this regard, you may have to apply to have the property rezoned. This is a time-consuming and complex process, best done with the help of professionals. We offer rezoning application help as part of our urban development planning services. The rezoning application is submitted to the relevant local municipality to have the current zoning changed for the said property.
An example of this is where you buy a vacant stand in a residential area with the purpose of building a small community shopping centre. The property is zoned for residential use and in order for it to be used as a shopping centre, the zoning must be changed to commercial. You will need to submit a site development plan as well, and we can help with this as part of our urban planning services.
Township Establishment
Professional help with township establishment forms part of urban development planning services. It is a complex process that entails the conversion of agricultural land into another type of land use, such as residential, commercial, or industrial. As part of the process, the town planner submits a township establishment application to the city council. A public participation process is also followed. The process takes on average a year but could take many years depending on objections by the public and compliance with requirements.
Procedures entail the submission of the township establishment application, circulation of the application to the relevant departments for comments, and advertising the application according to the bylaws of the particular municipality.
The land surveyor conducts the measurements and submits the General Plan. Several professionals thus work together throughout the application process right up to the proclamation of the township. As part of our urban planning services, we coordinate the application process to ensure the geological, environmental, and land surveyor reports and certificates are obtained in addition to the conveyancer’s certificate. A traffic impact assessment report, as well as the electrical and civil engineer reports, form part of the application process.
Consent Use
Our urban development planning services also extend to consent-use applications. An application is lodged to get the right for development according to the regulations of the town planning scheme without having to apply for rezoning of the land in question. If someone, for instance, wants to open a day-care centre at their residential abode, they apply for consent-use rights on the property. This is a temporary right. If not used within a specific period, the right lapses. Every property in the urban area has a primary right assigned to it according to the zoning classification in which the property falls. The primary right stays in place, but to use the property for a purpose other than what it has been zoned for, an application must be lodged to allow for a secondary-land- use right. This is the consent-use right.
To obtain the consent-use right, the secondary land-use right must be compatible with the primary land-use right. A commune, childcare centre, guesthouse, or a church can, for instance, be managed on a property zoned under the residential category if a consent-use right is obtained. It thus implies that a consent-use right cannot be obtained for land use that is not compatible with the current land use. For such, a rezoning application must be lodged. Aspects taken into consideration include, but are not limited to how the secondary right affects the neighbours, traffic flow, and safety in the area.
Consent-use rights are for the benefit of the property owner and not the neighbours. However, they are allowed to change because towns grow, and residential areas can become commercial districts over time to meet the business needs of the city residents. We offer the above and many other urban planning services. Get in touch with our town planners for help regarding township establishment, consent-use rights, zoning and rezoning applications, subdivisions, and land consolidations.