What is a Complying Development Certificate (CDC)?
Under NSW’s State Environmental Planning Policy, a CDC is designed to ensure compliance with various environmental and safety codes. While this may sound like a chore or overwhelming if you’re in charge of overseeing an office fit out, keep in mind that the certificate is referred to as a ‘complying’ development. As the name suggests, this certificate gives you planning and construction approval for a project that complies, meaning that the project in question is relatively straightforward in nature.
Put simply, a Complying Development Certificate lies somewhere between an exempt development and a project requiring a formal development application. Provided you meet the guidelines and codes set out by the State Government, the process of having your project approved and gaining a CDC should be an uncomplicated matter.
Do you need a Complying Development Certificate for an office fit out?
According to the Planning & Environment’s website, a ‘complying development applies to homes, businesses and industry and allows for a range of things like the construction of a new dwelling house, alterations and additions to a house, new industrial buildings, demolition of a building, and changes to a business use’.
A common misconception is that minor fitouts don’t require CDC certification. Usually this is untrue, because as we have seen above, a CDC’s purpose is to provide guidelines for projects that are more minor in nature, but are not classified as an exempt development. So if you’re carrying out new work or making modifications to an existing internal structure, you’ll need to ensure you obtain compliance certification to meet the regulations.
The best way to determine if you require is a CDC is to engage a professional commercial fitout specialist such as SB Projects. They will be able to advise you on the requirement for certification and can make arrangements for you to obtain it.
The good news is, a Complying Development Certificate will involve significantly less cost and time than if you needed to apply for a formal development application.
How long does it take to get a Complying Development Certificate?
The fastest way to get a CDC is to work with an industry professional that understands the requirements and the process of applying for approval.
As part of SB Projects’ tailored project management approach, we can take care of the entire process on your behalf. This means you’ll have a single point of accountability and can get on with business as usual while we make the necessary arrangements. Our end to end service also means an Occupation Certificate will be obtained at the completion of your project.
Contact SB Projects to talk about your next office fitout project here.
