Mosman Park Draftsman for Town of Mosman Park Plans and Council Approval
The Town of Mosman Park sits on a narrow strip between the Swan River and the Indian Ocean, and that geography does more to shape what you can build than any density code.
River views, coastal exposure, steep topography and an ageing character housing stock are the real constraints here. This page sets out how the approval framework applies to that context.
What a Mosman Park draftsman or Mosman Park drafter does for you
Mosman Park is small, established and topographically difficult in parts, running from the river frontage up over the ridge to the coast.
For a Town of Mosman Park project that means:
- Confirming whether the property is heritage listed or in a heritage area
- Testing the design against the Local Planning Scheme, the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions and the Town’s local planning policies
- Working the topography, because sloping river and ridge sites drive retaining, site works, access and overshadowing
- Checking for river foreshore considerations where the lot is close to the Swan
- Accounting for coastal exposure on the western side, which drives wind classification
- Preparing documentation to the Town’s lodgement standard
We draw architectural and planning documentation. We do not produce structural engineering drawings or electrical design.
What “Mosman Park 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, or the equivalent standards in a local planning policy. Draw a shed, patio 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. Clause 61A of the deemed provisions lets you ask the council to confirm it in writing. Fees vary widely: the Town of Victoria Park charges $73, the Town of Cambridge charges $295 for a new single house and $100 for additions with a 14 day response, and some councils do not offer it at all. Ask the Town of Mosman Park directly whether they run one and whether your building surveyor will want it, because it changes your program.
One rule holds everywhere. Being exempt from development approval does not exempt you from a building permit.
Building rules in the Town of Mosman Park
Residential development in Mosman Park is assessed against the R-Codes as applied and modified by the Town’s Local Planning Scheme and local planning policies. Where a design meets the deemed-to-comply provisions and the property is not heritage listed, development approval is generally not required and the project proceeds to a building permit.
The two things that most often pull a Mosman Park project into an application are:
- Heritage status. Character stock is common here, and listing removes the standard exemption
- Site works and retaining. On the steeper river and ridge lots, the fill, excavation and retaining needed to make a design work will often exceed the deemed-to-comply thresholds even where the building itself complies
That second point is worth planning for. On a sloping Mosman Park block, the earthworks are frequently the part that needs approval, not the house.
Topography, overshadowing and outlook
Sloping sites raise three issues that flat suburban lots do not.
Retaining and site works. Under the R-Codes, retaining and fill above the deemed-to-comply threshold triggers assessment. Levels need to be established properly at survey stage, not estimated, because the whole design sits on them.
Overshadowing. The R-Codes overshadowing provisions are measured against the adjoining lot, and on a sloping site the geometry works differently from a flat one. A two storey addition uphill of a neighbour casts a longer shadow than the same addition on level ground.
Outlook and privacy. Visual privacy setbacks apply to major openings and unenclosed active habitable spaces. On a site designed around a river or ocean view, those are exactly the elements you want largest, so the privacy provisions and the reason for building often pull against each other. That tension is usually where a Mosman Park design earns or loses its approval.
Patios, sheds and fire separation in Mosman Park
Patios and outbuildings are assessed under the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions as modified by any applicable local planning policy.
Fire separation is decided separately 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 Mosman Park’s tighter lots, boundary proximity is common, so the fire separation route is a live design decision. On the western side, coastal exposure also feeds into wind classification at permit stage.
Mosman Park 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, with overshadowing assessment |
| New single houses on sloping sites | Concept design through to submission documentation |
| Retaining walls and site works | Plans with surveyed levels, sections and earthworks detail |
| Patios, decks and balconies | Plans with the fire separation route and privacy setbacks addressed |
| Sheds and outbuildings | Plans tested against the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions |
| Renovations to character properties | Plans plus any heritage documentation required |
| Carports, garages and front fences | Setback, frontage and truncation assessment |
Mosman Park projects and what they teach you
Work in the Town of Mosman Park is part of our western suburbs workload, on the established lots where slope and outlook shape the design more than the code does.
The lesson here is that a survey pays for itself. On a sloping Mosman Park block, natural ground level is the datum for wall height, overall height, retaining thresholds and overshadowing, and every one of those is an approval trigger. A design built on estimated levels can be compliant on paper and non-compliant once the surveyor arrives.
What Town of Mosman Park 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.
On a sloping site, allow for a detailed feature survey and, where retaining is substantial, for engineering input. Neither forms part of a drafting fee.
Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because a level block and a steep river frontage lot 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 or second storey on a sloping site 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 Mosman Park area
The Town of Mosman Park is one of the smallest local governments in the metropolitan area, running from the Swan River across to the coast.
| Area | What tends to drive the design |
| Mosman Park draftsman | Established character stock, sloping sites, additions and second storeys dominate |
| River frontage draftsman | Steep topography, foreshore considerations, retaining and outlook drive the design |
| Coastal side draftsman | Wind classification and material selection matter at permit stage |
| Peppermint Grove and Cottesloe draftsman | Separate local governments, confirm which council your lot falls in |
Mosman Park draftsman questions
Do I need approval for a retaining wall in Mosman Park?
It depends on height and context. The R-Codes set deemed-to-comply thresholds for retaining and site works, and exceeding them triggers a planning assessment. A separate building permit threshold also applies, with Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations exempting a retaining wall that retains ground no more than 0.5m and is not associated with other building work. On a sloping Mosman Park block, most meaningful retaining will exceed at least one of those.
Why does my sloping block need a survey?
Because natural ground level is the datum for wall height, overall building height, retaining thresholds and overshadowing calculations, and all four are approval triggers. On a slope, estimating levels rather than surveying them is the most common cause of a design that has to be reworked.
Will a second storey be approved in Mosman Park?
It depends principally on overshadowing and visual privacy rather than on height alone. The R-Codes measure overshadowing against the adjoining lot, and on a sloping site an uphill addition casts a longer shadow than the same addition on level ground. Designing with that in mind from the start is what makes the difference.
Does heritage listing affect my Mosman Park project?
Yes. Where a property is heritage listed or in a heritage area, the standard exemption does not apply and development approval is required. Confirm the status with the Town before you start designing rather than after.
