After obtaining relevant development consent from the council, the subdivision or proposed development can now commence. Survey, design and planning of civil works can begin. Depending on your project, you’ll need to obtain a Construction Certificate from either council or a private accredited certifier before carrying out any actual work on site. You’ll also need to appoint the council or private accredited certifier as the Principal Certifying Authority (PCA) for the development. This is usually the same person or organisation who issues the Construction Certificate.
The PCA is required to carry out inspections at specific stages of the works, and to issue an Occupation Certificate for any dwellings constructed, or an approved subdivision plan for land subdivisions prior to the land being formally registered with the relevant authority.
Land titles
Once certificate(s) of title for the land have been issued, the originals must be sent to the Land Titles Office at Land & Property Information NSW (if in NSW) in order for the new titles to be created. Once titles have been produced, the plan can be lodged at Land & Property Information NSW. You can expect the plan to be registered within 4–6 weeks of initial lodgement. From there, new certificates of title are issued and the subdivision is finalised.