Almost every granny flat block falls under 0.3ha, so almost every DA needs this plan. It's about keeping mud on your block during construction — not about the finished building at all.
Back to the DA ChecklistEvery other plan in your DA is about the building you're going to build. This one is different — it's about the construction site itself, and what happens during the build, before any landscaping goes back in. Once you strip grass and topsoil away to dig footings, the bare dirt underneath washes away easily in rain, carrying mud and silt into the street, the stormwater system, and eventually the nearest creek. This plan shows the temporary measures that stop that happening while work is underway.
It's required for any site under 0.3ha (3,000m²) — which is virtually every residential block in the ACT, so virtually every granny flat DA needs one. The good news: it's a standard, well-understood set of measures, not something you have to design from scratch.
It covers four things: a sediment fence around the downhill edge of the works, a stabilised access point where vehicles enter the site, a cut/wash area for washing out concrete trucks and tools, and the water flow path showing where rain is directed during construction.
A temporary permeable fabric fence staked along the downhill edge of the works area — catches soil in runoff while letting water pass through slowly, so mud doesn't reach the street or a neighbour's block.
A rock or gravel pad at the site entrance so trucks and machinery don't track mud onto the road every time they come and go.
A designated bay, usually on gravel, where concrete trucks and tools are washed out — keeps cement slurry out of the soil and stormwater system.
Shows where surface water is directed during construction — diverted around the disturbed area to a controlled point rather than left to erode bare ground.
Canberra Drafting manages our DA & BA paperwork end to end — call us and we'll walk you through exactly what your block needs.
Call: 0403 370 551