A Community Plan is a subdivision of a parcel of Real Property land into three or more separate lots. The first lot of the Community Scheme, Lot 1, is the Association Property. This is shared property between the other lots in the scheme and is similar to Common Property in a Strata Scheme. Association [...]

The Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, as enacted in 2017, requires proposed development to be rigorously assessed in relation to potential impacts on biodiversity. Part 6 of the Act sets out requirements for a Biodiversity Offset Scheme, which is intended to maintain sustainable levels of flora and fauna by calculating the impact of a development [...]

When planning any kind of development, dealing with local Council can be a daunting and confusing experience. Communicating to the Council officers the details of your proposal is not always easy. So what is the process for obtaining development consent? When starting the planning for a development that requires approval, you should ensure that [...]

Surveyors are often called in to resolve disputes between neighbours in regard to dividing fences. A dividing fence can be a structure of almost any material that separates the lands of adjoining owners. A dividing fence does not include a retaining wall or the wall of a building. Where should the fence go? [...]

An easement is an acquired legal right over land benefiting the owner of other land or an Authority such as Council or a service provider. The site of an easement must be defined in a Deposited Plan or a plan annexed to a Real Property Dealing. Another type of easement is a Restriction on [...]

Federal Capital Sites – a case of “What if…” In 1900, the search began for the site of the new Federal capital city. The newly drawn up Constitution set out rules for the Federal capital site requiring that any such site must be located approximately midway between Sydney and Melbourne and not within 100 [...]

Geomorphology is a study of how land changes over time. Fluvial Geomorphology is a study of how watercourses change over time. This blog details work undertaken by Compass Consulting Surveyors in preparing a Geomorphic Assessment of a stretch of the Macquarie River at Montefiores (Wellington), NSW. In 2013, Compass Consulting Surveyors were engaged by [...]

Commonly known as GPS, Global Navigational Satellite Systems are becoming a part of most people’s everyday lives. From giving you directions when driving to tracking your exercise routes, GPS provides a method of locating yourself quickly and easily. Traditionally, GPS refers to the US Government “Navstar” navigational satellite system. Other systems are also in [...]

The survey is complete, and in the mail you find an envelope. When you open the envelope you discover a report and a plan, covered in numbers, lines, text and symbols. You can make out the shape of your land, but a lot of the information shown is beyond your grasp. After some head [...]

LiDAR is a method of measuring distance using laser light. The light reflected from the measured surface is analysed and the data stored as a cloud of points. LiDAR data can be captured by static ground observations using a scanning instrument or from a moving platform such as a ground-based vehicle or an aeroplane. Increasingly, [...]