What am I actually buying
The whole board (why one report instead of one specialist)
Every consultant in a development is the best in the room at one square, and worth every dollar when the block needs them. Each is also deep in one square only, and refers the rest out. On its own, not one of them gives you the whole board.
The report is the whole board. One independent read across every square, before you have spent a cent on any of them or signed anything. It is the map. The specialists are the roads on it.
| The specialist | Deep + certified in | Refers out / blind to | Typical cost | What the report does across this domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town planner | Zoning, overlays, assessment pathway, DA lodgement + representation | Contamination, servicing engineering, survey, geotech, cost | $330-550 quick screen · $1,500+GST written review · ~$4,000 full package (planning only) | Screens the full planning read (zone, overlays, pathway, DA history + nearby precedent) PLUS carries the layers a planner refers out |
| Surveyor | The exact legal boundaries, frontage, contour/slope, levels | Planning, contamination, servicing, cost | $2,800-4,500 (identification) · $1,900-3,300 (detail/contour) | Indicative frontage + slope read from cadastre/contour; routes the survey where design depends on the exact line |
| Environmental consultant | Contamination - register history, Preliminary Site Investigation, sampling | Planning, servicing, survey, cost | $3,500-6,000 (Stage 1 PSI) | Flags contamination and routes the EMR/CLR search to your conveyancer/solicitor (does NOT obtain the search) |
| Civil / hydraulic engineer | Servicing design, stormwater lawful point of discharge, connections, earthworks | Planning, contamination, survey, cost | $1,500-4,000 civil advice · $1,100-1,900 stormwater concept | Desktop read of mains position, servicing and the discharge point; routes the engineering |
| Geotechnical engineer | Soil classification, slope stability, mining/subsidence | Planning, contamination, servicing, cost | $700-1,200 lot classification · specialty quote-based | Screens the mining/geotech overlay + its construction consequence; routes the investigation |
| Quantity surveyor | The build cost, in dollars | Everything else | ~$600-700+GST (DA cost report) | Out of scope by design - names the cost-driver levels, never a $ figure |
| Solicitor / conveyancer | Title, easements, contract, the legal search | The land's physical + planning potential | Varies (search fees + fee) | Screens the easement register; routes the title search (never claims title status without it) |
| Bushfire / acoustic | Certified BAL / acoustic assessment | Everything else | ~$400-800 BAL · ~$1,000-2,500 acoustic | Screens the bushfire/noise overlay + its consequence; routes the certification |
Prices are typical published AU/QLD ranges, checked July 2026.
Every specialist answers "is my square clear?". The report answers "is this whole block worth pursuing, and which specialists do I actually need to pay?".
A planner's written planning review alone is $1,500+GST for one square. $690 reads every square and tells you which ones this block actually needs.
The honest limits (read these before you buy)
The report screens; it does not certify. It is a desktop read from authoritative public sources - nobody walks the site, and it cannot answer "will THIS design get approved". It is not certified planning advice, and it says so on the cover. It covers the land's current condition and which pathways survive - not feasibility, returns or timing. When a layer needs a professional, the report names which one.
Screen first. Specialists when you are proceeding. In that order.
What you actually get
One block, every layer, read against the current planning scheme - across nine SEQ councils (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Redland, Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Scenic Rim).
The zone and the pathway
What the scheme says this block is, and the assessment pathway for each use, read from the council's own table of assessment.
Five development products, each with a verdict
Granny flat, duplex, townhouse, apartment, subdivision: which pathways survive on this block, which die, and why - with an A to D rating for each.
Every mapped overlay, read at its tier
Flood and overland flow, bushfire, character and heritage, vegetation and the rest - what each one actually means for the pathway, not just that it exists.
The layers a planner refers out
Water and sewer mains position, stormwater discharge, electrical supply, quantified slope, indicative frontage from the cadastre, mining influence, noise corridors, the easement screen.
DA history
What has been applied for on this block, and what council has approved nearby, cited.
The bottom line in plain English
What this land can become, what stands in the way, and which specialists you actually need to pay before proceeding. A name under the verdict.
