Hi Brian,
Where you are converting a building's purpose of use from something prior into a personal training studio (or some other purpose), you will need a planning permit from your city council, Redlands. This is because your Council must first give you authority to change the purpose of the land/building and to use it in another way. Even if both purposes (prior and new) are for a commercial use, because the specific use is different, you will need to first get Council approval. This is also so that Council may change the purpose of use on their records for this particular property.
You do not necessarily need a professional planner to do this. I suspect that the $5,000 quoted includes service charges and work done by the planner. The actual application fee to the Council should be lower than this. The cost of the application depends on, among other things, the nature of the change and the fact that this property is for commercial and not residential use.
- Ask your Council to give you a copy of the planning permit application form/pack.
- If you like, you can ask Council for a breakdown of the costs.
- Some councils have planners working in-house who may be able to inspect the property and give you a quote for free or at a minimal charge. Ask if this is available.
- Many applications recommend that you obtain a professional third party, but this is really for ease of mind and so that all relevant documents/measurements are made according to requirement. Depending on what is required for your particular planning permit and the planning classification, you may be able to make the application yourself, with the aid of previous plans (where you are not changing the structure, outer and inner, of the building). Again, first ask for the application form/pack.
- Make sure you note down all verbal correspondences with the Council, including who you spoke with and at which times. If you can, verify verbal correspondences in a subsequent email to the person with whom you spoke. This is because that person, or whomever is responsible for your case, may leave or be unavailable later on and things you previously agreed upon may be misplaced in Council notes or recorded incorrectly. It is best to have a written version of events from your point of view.