Change 4 Bedroom Townhouse approval to 3 Bedroom-Knox council

Hi there

A friend of mine has been offered an offmarket property in Knox council
It already has 2 no’s 4 bedrooms townhouses approval done by the council

However, he feels that given the market conditions, it would be better to go for 3 Bedrooms Townhouses instead of 4

If he is downsizing the houses, will it still be a problem in getting the approvals from the council again?
Will the entire process be restarted from scratch if he wants to change ?
It’s a GRZ2 property in Knox council

Cheers

 

It depends.
If the changes are substantial or "transformational" - ie making a real difference to things like design, layout, access etc then it will be a case of going back to the start
If the changes are less significant he could be able to have an amendment to the permit (or if there are stamped/endorsed drawings, then even a possibility of substituting the endorsed plans for a new set)
It really depends on the level of change proposed. The Council won't be too concerned with the number of bedrooms, that in itself shouldn't be an issue, it will be about the extent of change being sought

 

I think it will be foolish to reduce the size from 4br to 3br (and rest of associated internal space).

Say a 10 or 20% reduction in dwelling size isn't going to reduce the building cost by the much, yet it will significantly reduce the potentially selling price.

The biggest benefit will be to the neighbours.

 

I also think it would be crazy to change it. I wouldn't imagine much difference in build cost for 4 vs 3 bedroom.

 

If he was taking out a wall and opening up the bedroom into and making it an additional living room then it might be simple.

If he’s changing setbacks, window locations, external walls then it’s probably going to be whole new application.

Bedrooms are one of the cheapest parts of house to build - it’s the bathroom, kitchen and wet areas which are generally more expensive.

Market downturn doesn’t always mean someone should decrease construction spend. It might make the situation even worse. Consider:
- will changing to 3 bedder mean more competition - will be then have to compete against a possible over supply of 3 bedders
- is 4 bedders less common and possibly therefore undersupply for larger families
- He should also be very careful assessing the design he’s buying as the design will impact end values. Not all 4 bedders are worth the same amount if design is poor