Any member of the public can submit their comments to the City of Gold Coast Council to support or object to a development application. These comments are referred to as ‘submissions’ and the person making the submission is referred to as the ‘submitter’.
Submissions are not confidential. As required by Planning Act 2016, the City is required to make your submission publicly available, by publishing your submission on the City’s website.
By using the City’s new online submission portal, Development.i to lodge your submission, you can choose to keep your personal details private and not publicly displayed during the assessment process.
However, once a decision has been made on an application, the City is legally required to provide the name and address details of all persons who have made a properly made submission to the applicant, to other persons who have made a properly made submission and these will be publicly available.
Council is required to give a decision notice in accordance with the Planning Act 2016. That decision notice may include the name, residential or business address and electronic address of each principal submitter.
Important: Submissions lodged via email or post will be publicly displayed in their entirety, including all personal details.
Please review the City’s Collection Notice for further information.
Find details of the development application
Use Development.i to view details of the development application including:
- application documents and plans
- the current status of the application – submissions can only be made during the public notification period
- closing date for submissions
- review of other submissions.
To find an application on Development.i you can search by:
- application number
- address
- map location.
How to make a 'properly made' submission
Submissions can be made on developments that are impact assessable and for variation requests. They may usually:
- be complex developments
- impact the community
- be potentially unsuitable for an area.
An assessment manager considers all submissions when assessing a development application. Once we consider all submissions and the application is decided, a copy of the decision must be sent to each properly made submitter.
Only properly made submissions create a legal right to appeal the decision through the Planning and Environment Court.
A properly made submission must:
- be in writing (includes electronic)
- be made to the assessment manager
- be signed by each person who made the submission, unless it is made electronically
- state the name and residential or business address of each person who made the submission (A PO/GPO Box is not accepted as a residential or business address, for the purpose of a properly made submission)
- state one postal or electronic address relating to the submission for all submission-makers
- state grounds, and the facts and circumstances relied on to support the grounds
- be made to the entity prescribed by the Planning Act 2016 during the fixed public notification period.
Submissions are not confidential. As required by Planning Act 2016, all submissions will be published in their entirety on Council's Development.i with details such as name and address viewable.
By using the City’s new online submission portal, Development.i to lodge your submission, you can choose to keep your personal details private and not publicly displayed during the assessment process.
However, once a decision has been made on an application, the City must give a decision notice in accordance with the requirements of the Planning Act 2016. That decision notice may include the name, residential or business address and electronic address of each principal submitter.
Please review the City’s Collection Notice for further information.
Grounds for submission
A submission is a written objection or supporting comment about a development application. Any member of the community (a person, group or organisation) can make a submission.
Stating grounds for a submission are mandatory and should focus on planning, environment and/or transport issues such as:
- whether the proposed use is consistent with the intent for the area as expressed in the Planning Scheme
- whether the scale and design of the proposed development is compatible with surrounding development
- how the development addresses the street and interfaces with adjoining properties
- any potential traffic and car parking issues associated with the development
- hours of operation (for commercial activities)
- how the development may impact on drainage patterns in the area
- how the development fits with any objective of the planning scheme to protect and enhance the natural environment.
For more information on making a submission and appeal rights, visit the Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning website.