Gosnells Draftsman

Gosnells Draftsman for City of Gosnells Plans and Council Approval

On a rural block over two hectares in the City of Gosnells, the deemed-to-comply shed allowance is 1,000 square metres, with a 5.5 metre wall height. That is the most generous outbuilding provision of any council in the Perth metropolitan area, and it exists because Gosnells wrote its own policy rather than leaning on the state defaults.

Local Planning Policy 2.2 also covers sea containers, with published numbers by lot size. This page sets out what it says, what the residential rules are, and where the limits sit.

What a Gosnells draftsman or Gosnells drafter does for you

Gosnells splits sharply between suburban and rural, and the applicable rules change completely across that line.

For a City of Gosnells project that means:

Confirming the zone, because LPP 2.2 sets entirely different provisions for Residential and Rural
Confirming the lot area, because in the rural zones the shed allowance is banded by site area
Checking whether the R-Codes Part B or Part C applies, since the policy references both
Checking Town Planning Scheme No. 6 and Local Planning Scheme No. 24, which both operate in the City
Checking whether the lot sits in a bushfire prone area, since State Planning Policy 3.7 is referenced by the policy
Preparing documentation to the City’s lodgement standard

We draw architectural and planning documentation. We do not produce structural engineering drawings or electrical design.

What “Gosnells council approval” actually means

People use “council approval” to cover two or three separate things. They are assessed by different people under different legislation, and most projects do not need all of them.

A building permit. The construction approval under the Building Act 2011, covering structural adequacy, fire separation, energy efficiency and compliance with the National Construction Code. You will almost always need this one.

Development approval, also called planning approval or a DA. The planning assessment against the R-Codes, the local planning scheme and the council’s own local planning policies, covering siting, setbacks, height, bulk, open space and streetscape.

Here is the part that saves people time and money. On most smaller residential jobs, development approval is only needed where the design does not meet the deemed-to-comply provisions of the R-Codes. Draw a patio, shed or carport inside the numbers and you generally go straight to a building permit. Step outside them and you are asking for a variation, and the variation is what triggers the planning application.

A deemed-to-comply check. This is the step most people have never heard of. Where no development approval is needed, your building surveyor still needs evidence of that before issuing a certificate of design compliance. A number of WA councils run a formal written check for exactly this purpose, and some expect it before a building permit will proceed even where the design fully complies. Fees and turnarounds vary widely: the Town of Victoria Park charges $73, while the Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions, with a 14 day response. Ask the council early whether they run one and whether they expect it before a building permit, because it changes your program and your budget.

One rule holds everywhere. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit.

Gosnells council approval for sheds in the residential zones

The residential rule is refreshingly simple. Outbuildings in Residential zones that comply with the deemed-to-comply criteria of R-Codes Part B clause 5.4.3 or Part C clause 2.6 are exempt from the requirement to obtain development approval.

Which part applies depends on your coding. Part B covers single houses at R40 and below and grouped dwellings at R25 and below. Part C covers single houses at R50 and above and grouped dwellings at R30 and above. The two parts set different figures, so confirm which one governs your lot before relying on a number.

Where an outbuilding does not comply, it is assessed against the relevant design principle, which for Gosnells means the impact of the outbuilding on the streetscape and on the neighbours’ visual amenity. That is the case you have to make, and it is worth making it properly in writing rather than leaving an assessment officer to form their own view.

An outbuilding here takes the R-Codes definition: an enclosed non-habitable structure detached from any dwelling, which may include a detached garage. Gosnells adds one exclusion, which is that the definition does not include a kennel structure.

City of Gosnells building rules for rural sheds

This is where Gosnells stands apart. Development approval is not required for a rural outbuilding that meets the setbacks and the following table.

Minimum site area	Deemed-to-comply floor area	Deemed-to-comply wall height	Deemed-to-comply maximum height
Up to 2,400m2	120m2	4m	5m
2,401m2 to 2ha	5% of lot area	5m	6m
Over 2ha	1,000m2	5.5m	6.5m

Three conditions shape how that table works in practice:

Floor area is calculated on the total of all outbuildings on the lot, less any minor exempted structures. It is not a per shed figure
Outbuildings with a floor area greater than 350m2 must be set back a minimum of 10m from side and rear boundaries
Where a proposal exceeds any dimension in the table, planning approval is required and the application will be advertised to any neighbour the City considers may be affected

What does not count toward your Gosnells shed allowance

The policy defines minor exempted structures that sit outside the floor area calculation entirely:

Sheds in Rural zones of less than 20m2 in area and 2.4m in height
Aviaries, animal pens and shade houses with permeable walls
Equipment enclosures associated with pumps, bores, services and the like

On a rural block near the allowance, moving a structure into one of those categories can be the difference between an exemption and an advertised application.

The Gosnells rural conditions people miss

Meeting the table is necessary but not sufficient. The policy also requires that:

Outbuildings are not used for habitation, or for commercial or industrial purposes
Outbuildings are generally located behind the front setback and not significantly visible from the primary street. Some visibility from a secondary street is accepted as unavoidable

When assessing a rural outbuilding the Council considers colours and materials and whether they suit the setting, setbacks to adjoining properties and to the street, bulk and scale, visibility from the street, the size of the lot, and any objections received from adjoining landowners.

That last item is the one worth acting on. In a policy where exceeding the table triggers advertising, the neighbour conversation is better had before lodgement than after.

Sea containers in the City of Gosnells

Gosnells is one of the few councils with detailed written sea container provisions, and they differ substantially between residential and rural land.

In the Residential zones:

A container may be placed for the purpose of relocating personal effects for up to 14 days without planning approval
After obtaining a building permit for significant building work, a container may be placed for the duration of that building permit to secure construction tools and materials, without planning approval
Outside those two situations, sea containers in Residential zones are generally not supported

In the Rural zones, containers may be placed for domestic storage without development approval in line with this table, provided the combined floor area of containers and outbuildings stays within the Table 1 figures, setbacks comply with Local Planning Scheme No. 24, and the containers are completely screened from view of any road and from residential buildings on adjoining properties:

Minimum site area	Deemed-to-comply sea containers
Up to 2,400m2	4
2,401m2 to 2ha	6
Over 2ha	10

Containers should be painted or clad to complement the landscape character of the area, and stacking is not supported in rural zones except within the Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area.

A building permit is required for a sea container except where it is a temporary builder’s office, shed or sanitary facility for the duration of construction, where it is 10m2 or less with a maximum height of 2.4m, or where it is used for private purposes and located on the property for no longer than one month.

The Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area

Parts of the MKSEA are transitioning from Rural to Industrial zoning. The policy recognises this, allowing the number of containers on a lot to be increased subject to an application approved by Council. Within the MKSEA, containers should be stacked no higher than 5m, set back a minimum of 3m from side and rear boundaries, and located behind any existing dwelling on the lot.

If your property sits in the MKSEA, that is the first thing to establish, because it changes what is achievable.

Patios and fire separation in Gosnells

Freestanding patios, sheds and gazebos no more than 10m2 in area and 2.4m in height do not require a building permit. Above either figure, a building permit is required, and as the City notes, that exemption never removes the obligation to comply with the National Construction Code and the R-Codes.

Fire separation is decided at building permit stage. Western Australia adopted NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026, introducing WA Part 9.6 for roofed outdoor areas. It gives two routes to the boundary: 900mm measured to the outermost structural projection and excluding the eave overhang, or 500mm measured to the outermost projection and including the eave overhang.

The 500mm route carries conditions including two or more sides open with at least one third of the perimeter open, a non-combustible supporting structure, a polycarbonate or non-combustible roof covering, a non-combustible floor, no direct vertical support to the house, and a solid non-combustible screen at least 1500mm high along every side facing a boundary. Where that does not suit the build, use the 900mm route.

An enclosed shed is assessed under Part 9.2 instead, which is a different rule set. On a Gosnells rural block with both a large shed and a patio, both need checking separately.

Gosnells plans we prepare

Project type	What we prepare
Rural sheds and workshops	Plans to the site area band, with the floor area calculation and 10m setback where over 350m2
New single houses	Concept design through to submission documentation
Additions and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Second storey additions	Full working drawings, elevations, sections
Patios and alfrescos	Plans with the fire separation route identified
Residential outbuildings	Plans tested against R-Codes Part B 5.4.3 or Part C 2.6
Ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Carports, garages and front fences	Setback, frontage and truncation assessment

Gosnells projects and what they teach you

Work across the City of Gosnells is a regular part of what we do, from the established suburban blocks through Thornlie, Gosnells and Maddington to the rural lots at Martin and Orange Grove, including small and modular housing documentation taken through the certificate of design compliance route.

The lesson Gosnells teaches is that lot area is the first number that matters, not the R-code. On rural land the entire shed allowance, the wall height and the maximum height all move in bands with site area, and the difference between a 2,400m2 lot and a 2,401m2 lot is a jump from 120m2 to 5 per cent of the lot area with an extra metre of wall height. Confirm the area from the title, not from an estimate.

The second lesson is the aggregate calculation. Because floor area is measured across all outbuildings on the lot, an existing shed you had forgotten about can put a new one over the line. Auditing what is already there comes before designing what is next.

What City of Gosnells approval costs

Planning application fees are set by state regulation and are the same at every WA council, calculated on the estimated cost of development:

Estimated cost of development	Application fee
Not more than $50,000	$147
$50,001 to $500,000	0.32% of the estimated cost
$500,001 to $2.5 million	$1,700 plus 0.257% of the amount above $500,000
Written planning advice	$73
Amending or cancelling an approval	$295

If the work has already been built, the fee is that figure plus a penalty of twice the fee, so three times the normal amount.

On a rural Gosnells shed, the bigger cost is usually time rather than fee. Staying inside the Table 1 figures avoids advertising to neighbours. Exceeding them triggers it, and that adds weeks.

Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because a suburban block in Thornlie and a two hectare rural lot in Martin are not the same job. As a rough guide only, a patio or residential shed submission sits at the lower end, an addition in the middle, and a large rural workshop or a new house at the upper end. You get a fixed figure before we start.

How long the drawings take

We are one of the quicker drafting practices in Perth, and we would rather tell you that plainly than quote a number we cannot stand behind.

Turnaround depends on what is being drawn. A patio or a shed is not a second storey addition, and a straightforward flat block is not a sloping site with an existing dwelling to survey and match into. Anyone quoting you a fixed timeframe before seeing the scope is guessing.

What we do is give you a realistic date once we have seen the project, and then keep to it. If we cannot hit something you need, we say so before you commit rather than after.

It is also worth knowing that on most jobs the drafting is not the long pole. The parts that usually set the overall timeline are:

The council clock, which is set by regulation rather than by us
Third party reports, such as a Bushfire Attack Level assessment, an arborist report or engineering certification, each of which has its own lead time
Decisions, meaning how quickly changes come back once you have the first draft in front of you

Those are the things worth planning around, and we will tell you which of them apply to your project at the start.

Draftsman services by Gosnells suburb

The City of Gosnells runs from the suburban areas in the north west through to rural land against the Darling Scarp in the east.

Suburb	What tends to drive the design
Thornlie draftsman	The City’s largest suburb, established family blocks, additions and outbuilding work dominates
Gosnells draftsman	Mixed density around the town centre, R-code and Part B or Part C confirmation matters
Maddington and Kenwick draftsman	Parts sit in the Maddington Kenwick Strategic Employment Area, which changes the container and zoning position
Canning Vale draftsman	Shared with a neighbouring council, confirm which local government your lot falls in before proceeding
Southern River draftsman	Newer estate stock with structure plans and local development plans over the R-Codes
Huntingdale draftsman	Established residential, standard R-Codes assessment in most cases
Beckenham and Langford draftsman	Older smaller lots, ancillary dwellings and site coverage are the constraints
Martin and Orange Grove draftsman	Rural zoned, the Table 1 shed bands apply and bushfire assessment may be triggered

The City’s contact number is 9397 3000.

Gosnells draftsman questions

How big a shed can I build in Gosnells?

On rural land it depends on your lot area. Up to 2,400m2 the deemed-to-comply floor area is 120m2 with a 4m wall height. Between 2,401m2 and 2 hectares it is 5 per cent of the lot area with a 5m wall height. Over 2 hectares it is 1,000m2 with a 5.5m wall height. In the residential zones the R-Codes provisions apply instead, under Part B clause 5.4.3 or Part C clause 2.6 depending on your coding.

Does my existing shed count against a new one in Gosnells?

Yes, on rural land. The floor area figure is calculated on the total of all outbuildings on the lot, less minor exempted structures. Minor exempted structures are rural sheds under 20m2 and 2.4m high, aviaries, animal pens and shade houses with permeable walls, and equipment enclosures for pumps, bores and services.

Can I keep a shipping container on my Gosnells property?

In a residential zone, only for up to 14 days while relocating personal effects, or for the duration of a building permit while securing construction materials. Otherwise containers in residential zones are generally not supported. In the rural zones you can have four, six or ten depending on lot area, provided the combined floor area with your outbuildings stays within the table, setbacks comply, and the containers are completely screened from any road and from neighbouring homes.

Do I need a building permit for a small patio in Gosnells?

Not for a freestanding patio, shed or gazebo no more than 10m2 in area and 2.4m in height. Above either figure a building permit is required. Being exempt from the permit does not exempt you from the National Construction Code or the R-Codes, and it does not remove a development approval if one is needed.

What happens if my Gosnells rural shed is bigger than the table allows?

Planning approval is required, and the application will be advertised to any neighbour the City considers may be affected. Council then weighs colours and materials, setbacks, bulk and scale, visibility from the street, lot size and any objections received. Because objections carry weight in that assessment, it is worth talking to the neighbours before lodging rather than after.