Why Experience in Land Surveying & Town Planning Matters
Land surveying is a very demanding task, requiring both professional skills and an instinct for problem-solving that is based on extensive education and experience.
Town planning requires expertise on multiple levels as well as a broader understanding of land, legislation, regulation and their application to property. Extensive education and experience is required.
With some of the most variable types of land and land use in the world, Australia presents even more challenges for surveyors and planners. Whether you’re proposing to develop an apartment block or a drainage scheme, you can expect a whole range of issues. For town planners, the local idiosyncrasies of climate, landforms, geology, economics, infrastructure and development needs are all among the elements that need to be considered.
Surveying and Town Planning: The Basics
Not surprisingly, land surveyors and town planners often have to work together. As an example, consider the needs of planning something as basic as a road:
- The surveyor will be able to define, in extraordinary detail, the course of the proposed road, the topography, elevations, and other core information of any route chosen by the local authority.
- The surveying may involve anything from trying to access undeveloped areas to working in suburban environments with a host of local planning issues. This work is crucial in all aspects of planning.
- The town planner is also faced with a series of factors of this kind. They have to plan a working road, define the economic benefits, and manage the infrastructural requirements. This must be done while delivering the practical values required for the community and local government body. Also relevant to all planning, the project must be cost-viable.
The Risks of Inexperience
In Tasmania, inexperienced planners and surveyors created a public road reserve through a river, a cliff, giant boulders and other major obstacles over a tiny distance of 200 metres. The road reserve created a range of access issues for landowners as well as practical obstacles for actually building the road.
The entire road reserve plan, covering about 20 square kilometres of rough country, had to be replanned and surveyed from scratch, at considerable cost to the council and community.
With experienced surveyors and town planners, the Tasmanian example – which was a problem for the local council for decades – would never have occurred. Huge costs and total failure of basic planning could have been avoided.
The moral of the story is simple: always use the experts.
Looking for Experienced Surveyors and Town Planners in Queensland?
Arnold Development Consultants offers a full suite of surveying, town planning and subdivision services. We have an extensive track record of successful projects throughout Queensland. We work with local governments, landholders, developers, and communities on a regular basis to deliver superior professional standards and outcomes. Contact us online or call your nearest local Arnold Development Consultants office.
