Vincent Draftsman for City of Vincent Plans and Council Approval

The City of Vincent gives you three separate routes to avoid a development application for an outbuilding, and one rule that catches almost everyone: the three routes cannot be combined. Your design has to satisfy one of them in its entirety. Take the 30 square metre allowance from one route and the wall height from another and you have no exemption at all.

Vincent is also one of the few councils that will not formally assess your proposal before you lodge. This page sets out the three routes, what that means for your process, and the heritage layer that runs through the City.

What a Vincent draftsman or Vincent drafter does for you

Vincent covers Leederville, Mount Hawthorn, North Perth, Highgate and Mount Lawley, a City of older, tighter lots with substantial character housing and a genuinely active heritage framework.

For a City of Vincent project that means:

• Deciding which of the three exemption routes the design will target, and staying inside it completely
• Checking whether the property is heritage protected, which removes the exemptions entirely
• Checking the City’s Built Form Policy local housing objectives, which sit alongside the R-Codes design principles in any application
• Confirming whether the lot is assessed under R-Codes Part B or Part C, because the outbuilding provisions differ substantially
• Preparing documentation to the City’s development application checklist

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

What “Vincent council approval” actually means

People use “council approval” to cover two or three separate things. They are assessed by different people under different legislation.

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. As the City puts it, applying for development approval and a building permit are two separate processes controlled under different legislation.

Development approval, also called planning approval or a DA. The planning assessment against the R-Codes, the local planning scheme and the City’s local planning policies. 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 or the City’s Planning Exemptions policy. Development approval is also required for outbuildings on heritage protected properties, regardless of compliance.

A deemed-to-comply check. This is where Vincent differs sharply from its neighbours. Several WA councils run a formal pre-lodgement written check confirming that development approval is not required. The Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions. The Town of Victoria Park charges $73. Vincent does not offer this. The City states plainly that it cannot confirm whether a proposal would be supported unless a development application is lodged, and that it is unable to undertake formal assessments in the absence of one.

What Vincent does offer is a Duty Planner, available at the Administration Office Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm, in person or by phone, who can give general advice on a proposed development and on what a complete application requires. That is useful, but it is advice, not a determination.

The practical consequence is that in Vincent, compliance has to be established by getting the design right, not by asking the City to confirm it first.

One rule holds regardless. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit. Under Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations the only relevant residential exemption is a freestanding Class 10a building no larger than 10m2 and no higher than 2.4m. Everything above that needs a permit whether or not a planning application was involved.

The three Vincent outbuilding exemption routes

These cannot be combined. The design must satisfy route 1, 2 or 3 in its entirety.

Route 1: the City’s Planning Exemptions policy

An outbuilding is exempt from development approval where it:

• Is not within the primary or secondary street setback of a dwelling
• Is not used for vehicle parking, and is not a shipping container
• Is on a property that is a single house or grouped dwelling
• Is on a property that is not heritage listed
• Has an area of no more than 30m2
• Has a total height of no more than 3.5m above natural ground level
• Does not depart from the R-Codes deemed-to-comply standards for Part B outdoor living area, open space and boundary wall length, or Part C open space, site cover, solar access and ventilation and boundary wall length

Note the two conditions that surprise people. An outbuilding used for parking a vehicle is excluded from this route, which pushes most detached garages elsewhere. And under this policy, boundary walls of outbuildings are included in the overall boundary wall length for the site, so an existing boundary wall reduces what is available.

The 30m2 at 3.5m total height is generous on height compared with the R-Codes Part B default, which is the attraction of this route.

Route 2: R-Codes Volume 1 Part B deemed-to-comply

Small outbuilding: one per dwelling site, no more than two boundary walls, not exceeding 10m2, wall height not exceeding 2.7m, not in the primary or secondary street setback, and not reducing open space and outdoor living area requirements.

Large and multiple outbuildings: individually or collectively not exceeding 60m2 or 10 per cent of the site area whichever is lesser, set back per Table 2a, wall height not exceeding 2.4m, ridge height not exceeding 4.2m, not in the street setback, and not reducing open space and outdoor living area.

There is an important asymmetry here. For a small outbuilding, the boundary walls do not contribute to the site’s boundary wall length. For a large or multiple outbuilding, the deemed-to-comply standard does not allow the structure to be located on the boundary at all.

Route 3: R-Codes Volume 1 Part C deemed-to-comply

Any outbuilding that:

• Individually or collectively does not exceed 60m2 per site
• Is not in the primary or secondary street setback
• Does not exceed a wall height of 3m, or 5m where the outbuilding is designed in a compatible colour and material to the dwelling
• Does not exceed a ridge height of 2m
• Is set back or built to boundaries per the Part C lot boundary setback and boundary wall provisions
• Does not exceed maximum site cover, and does not reduce the minimum primary garden area, soft landscaping, or the tree requirement and associated deep soil area

The 3.5m wall height concession for matching colour and materials is worth designing for on a Part C lot.

Can you build an outbuilding on the boundary in Vincent?

Yes, but only via specific routes. It is permitted where exempted under the Planning Exemptions policy, under the Part B small outbuilding standard, or under the Part C outbuilding standards. It is not available under the Part B large and multiple outbuilding standard.

Permitted boundary wall length depends on site dimensions, street setbacks and residential density coding.

On setbacks generally, under Part B large outbuildings follow Table 2a, where the longer and higher the wall the greater the required setback, and 1m to 1.5m is usually workable. Under Part C, setbacks follow Table 3.4a and depend on wall height, with around 1m usually workable.

When you need development approval in Vincent

Development approval is required where the deemed-to-comply standards are not met, or where the property is heritage protected.

Where it is required, you must submit written justification addressing how the development satisfies the relevant R-Codes design principles and the local housing objectives of the City’s Built Form Policy, where applicable. An Urban Planner then assesses whether the departure can be supported. Where it does not meet the design principles or local housing objectives, amended plans or reconsideration will be required.

Two timing facts:

• The City has 60 days to determine an application, or 90 days where community consultation is required. Longer is possible where agreed in writing between the City and the applicant
• Development approvals are valid for 2 years from issue, and construction must be substantially commenced within that time

That written justification requirement is the part worth taking seriously. In a City with an active Built Form Policy and heritage framework, a variation argued properly does markedly better than one left for the assessing officer to piece together.

Heritage in the City of Vincent

Heritage runs through this City more than most. Development approval is required for outbuildings on heritage protected properties regardless of whether the deemed-to-comply standards are met, and the City maintains a Heritage List with development guidelines setting out its preferred approach to retention and conservation.

If the property is listed or in a heritage area, assume a development application is the pathway and design accordingly. Confirm the heritage status before drawing.

Patios and fire separation in Vincent

Patios are assessed under the R-Codes, and fire separation is decided separately at building permit stage. Under Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations, a building permit is not required for a freestanding Class 10a building with a floor area not exceeding 10m2 and a height no more than 2.4m. All buildings remain subject to the National Construction Code, including fire separation.

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.

This matters more in Vincent than in the outer suburbs, because lots are tighter and boundary proximity is the norm rather than the exception.

Vincent plans we prepare

Project type	What we prepare
Additions and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Second storey additions	Full working drawings, elevations, sections
New single houses on infill lots	Concept design through to submission documentation
Sheds and outbuildings	Plans targeting one exemption route in full
Patios and alfrescos	Plans with the fire separation route identified
Carports and garages	Setback and frontage assessment, noting the parking exclusion in route 1
Ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Development applications	Plans plus written justification to the design principles and Built Form Policy

Vincent projects and what they teach you

Work across the City of Vincent is a regular part of what we do, on the tighter character lots through Mount Hawthorn, North Perth and Leederville where site coverage and boundary walls do most of the work.

The lesson Vincent teaches is that you must pick a lane. Because the three exemption routes cannot be combined, a design that borrows the best number from each ends up with no exemption. Decide early which route the project is targeting and hold every condition of it.

The second lesson is that Vincent will not tell you in advance. With no formal pre-lodgement assessment available, the drawings and the compliance reasoning have to stand on their own. That raises the value of getting the assessment right before anything is lodged, and of writing a proper justification where a variation is unavoidable.

What City of Vincent approval costs

Development 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.

Because Vincent has no paid pre-lodgement check, there is no middle option here. Either the design qualifies for an exemption, or you are lodging a development application on the 60 or 90 day clock.

Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because a heritage listed cottage in Highgate and a straightforward rear addition in Mount Hawthorn are not the same job. As a rough guide only, a patio or shed submission sits at the lower end, an addition in the middle, and a new house, second storey or heritage project 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 Vincent suburb

The City of Vincent sits immediately north of the Perth CBD and is almost entirely established, older stock.

Suburb	What tends to drive the design
Mount Hawthorn draftsman	Character housing, tight lots, rear additions and second storeys dominate, heritage status worth checking
North Perth draftsman	Older stock with laneway access in parts, boundary walls and site coverage are the constraints
Leederville draftsman	Mixed density near the town centre, character housing, confirm Part B or Part C
Highgate draftsman	Significant heritage stock, assume a development application on listed properties
Mount Lawley draftsman	Shared with a neighbouring council, confirm which local government your lot falls in before proceeding
Perth, West Perth and East Perth draftsman	Higher density, Part C provisions and the Built Form Policy govern
Coolbinia and Menora draftsman	Shared with a neighbouring council in parts, worth confirming

The City’s Administration Building is at 244 Vincent Street, Leederville, and the Duty Planner is available on (08) 9273 6000 Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm.

Vincent draftsman questions

Can I combine the Vincent exemption routes?

No, and this is the most common mistake. There are three routes: the City’s Planning Exemptions policy, the R-Codes Part B deemed-to-comply standards, and the R-Codes Part C deemed-to-comply standards. Your design must satisfy one of them in its entirety. Mixing the 30m2 area from one route with a wall height from another leaves you with no exemption.

How big a shed can I build in Vincent without approval?

Up to 30m2 at a total height of 3.5m under the City’s Planning Exemptions policy, but only if it is not used for vehicle parking, is not in a street setback, is on a non-heritage single house or grouped dwelling lot, and does not depart from the listed R-Codes standards. Otherwise the R-Codes routes give you 10m2 at 2.7m as a small outbuilding, or 60m2 at 2.4m as a large one under Part B, or 60m2 at 3m under Part C.

Will the City of Vincent tell me if my plans comply before I lodge?

Not formally. The City states that it cannot confirm whether a proposal would be supported unless a development application is lodged, and that it is unable to undertake formal assessments without one. A Duty Planner is available for general advice Monday to Friday, but that is guidance rather than a determination. Some neighbouring councils do offer a paid written deemed-to-comply check. Vincent does not.

Does my detached garage count as an outbuilding in Vincent?

It counts as an outbuilding under the R-Codes definition, which includes structures used as garages where they are not attached to a dwelling. But it is excluded from the City’s Planning Exemptions route, which specifically does not apply to outbuildings used for vehicle parking. So a detached garage has to qualify under one of the two R-Codes routes instead.

How long does a Vincent development application take?

The City has 60 days to determine an application, or 90 days where community consultation is required, and longer is possible where agreed in writing. Once granted, a development approval is valid for 2 years and construction must be substantially commenced within that time.