Waroona Draftsman for Shire of Waroona Plans and Council Approval

The Shire of Waroona runs from Preston Beach on the coast inland across the Peel plain to the scarp, taking in Lake Clifton and the Yalgorup lakes system.

That geography means three different constraint sets in one small shire: coastal exposure on the west, wetland and conservation values through the middle, and bushfire on the eastern rural land.

What a Waroona draftsman or Waroona drafter does for you

Waroona covers the townsite, the coastal settlement at Preston Beach, and rural and agricultural land between.

For a Shire of Waroona project that means:

• Confirming the zone, because townsite, rural and the coastal settlement are assessed differently
• Checking whether the lot is in a designated bushfire prone area, which much of the eastern Shire is
• Checking for wetland, conservation or environmental constraints, particularly around the Yalgorup lakes
• Accounting for coastal exposure at Preston Beach, which drives wind classification at permit stage
• Testing the design against the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme and the R-Codes deemed-to-comply provisions
• Preparing documentation to the Shire’s lodgement standard

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

What “Waroona 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 Shire of Waroona directly whether they run one and whether your building surveyor will want it before lodging.

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

Building in the Shire of Waroona

Residential development is assessed against the R-Codes as applied by the Shire’s Local Planning Scheme and local planning policies. Where a design meets the deemed-to-comply provisions, development approval is generally not required and the project proceeds to a building permit.

Three constraints shape most Waroona work:

Bushfire. Much of the eastern rural land and the scarp foothills is bushfire prone. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the rating determines the construction standard under AS 3959 for walls, windows, decking, roof and subfloor.

Coastal exposure at Preston Beach. Wind classification takes account of exposure, terrain and shielding. A beachfront or near beachfront lot will carry a higher wind class than an equivalent inland block, and that flows through to structural requirements, tie downs, fixings and cost.

Environmental values. The Yalgorup lakes system and the wetlands through the middle of the Shire carry conservation significance. Where a lot is affected, environmental considerations can add assessment requirements that are not apparent from the zoning alone.

Under Schedule 4 of the Building Regulations 2012, 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. Above either figure, a permit is required.

As in most WA shires, a shed on a lot with no dwelling is generally treated as a storage or warehouse use, so sequence the dwelling first.

Patios and fire separation in Waroona

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.

Waroona plans we prepare

Project type	What we prepare
New homes	Concept design through to submission documentation
Sheds, workshops and garages	Plans tested against the Scheme and the R-Codes
Additions and extensions	Existing and proposed plans, demolition plan
Patios and alfrescos	Plans with the fire separation route identified
Ancillary dwellings	Plans and area calculations to the 70m2 limit
Carports and garages	Setback and siting assessment
Retaining walls and front fences	Plans including sight line truncation
Development applications	Documentation with supporting justification

What Shire of Waroona 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.

Our drafting fee is quoted per project rather than by a rate card, because every lot and every brief differs. As a rough guide only, a patio or shed submission sits at the lower end, an addition in the middle, and a new home 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 Waroona locality

Locality	What tends to drive the design
Waroona draftsman	Townsite lots, standard R-Codes assessment in most cases
Preston Beach draftsman	Coastal settlement, wind classification and material selection drive the permit stage
Lake Clifton draftsman	Wetland and conservation values, environmental considerations may apply
Hamel draftsman	Rural land, larger sheds with substantial setbacks
Wagerup draftsman	Rural and industrial interface, confirm zoning first

Waroona draftsman questions

Do I need approval for a shed in Waroona?

Where the design meets the deemed-to-comply provisions of the R-Codes and the Shire’s local planning framework, development approval is generally not required and you proceed to a building permit. On rural land the allowances and setbacks differ from townsite lots, so confirm the zone with the Shire before sizing the shed.

Does building at Preston Beach cost more?

Usually, though the reason is the building permit rather than the planning assessment. Wind classification takes account of exposure, terrain and shielding, and a coastal lot will generally carry a higher wind class than an inland block. That drives structural requirements, tie downs and fixings, and it shows up in the build cost.

Does bushfire affect my Waroona project?

On the eastern rural land and the scarp foothills, very likely. Where a Bushfire Attack Level assessment is triggered, the rating determines the construction standard under AS 3959, which affects walls, windows, decking, roof and subfloor. Establish it before finalising the design.

Do the Yalgorup lakes affect what I can build?

They can. The lakes and wetland system carries conservation significance, and where a lot is affected there may be environmental assessment requirements that are not obvious from the zoning. Confirm the position with the Shire before designing.