NSW neighbours facing a nearby development application · planning information, not legal advice · A$149 flat
Your neighbour lodged a DA. We check it against the real planning controls.
Send the DA documents. We test the applicant's own stated figures (height, floor-space ratio, setbacks, parking, landscaping, solar access, zoning, overlays) against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls, and cite the exact clause for every finding. For NSW neighbours weighing an objection. One flat price: A$149 per DA (AUD, GST incl.). Planning information, not legal advice, and not a law practice.
If there is merit
MERIT FOUNDYou get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission to review and lodge yourself, within 5 business days.
Illustrative format. Every ground cites its clause and the DA page it came from.
If there is not
NO MERITYou get a plain-English explanation of why, and every cent back within 24 hours. No arguments.
The refund promise is the trust mechanism, not a marketing line.
What the screen tests
The applicant's own figures, checked against the controls.
Below is the format of the grounds table. Every line cites the exact clause and the page of the DA document. Example values are illustrative, not a real assessment.
| Control tested | Clause cited | Applicant's figure | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building height | LEP cl 4.3, max 8.5m | 9.2m (DA p.14) | GROUND Exceeds by 0.7m |
| Front setback | DCP cl 3.2, 6m min | 6.0m (DA p.22) | COMPLIANT |
| Deep soil area | DCP cl 5.1, 25% min | 18% (DA p.31) | GROUND 7 points short |
| Solar access | DCP cl 6.4, 3h to living areas | Compliant (DA p.40) | COMPLIANT |
Illustrative example of the report format, not a real DA assessment. Reports are produced by qualified contract town planners working to a fixed rubric drawn from the public planning instruments. Never automated verdicts; never "AI says you will win."
How it works
Three steps. One honest answer.
Send the DA
Upload the DA documents, or just the DA number, council, and site address. Before payment we confirm the DA is still on exhibition and check the address against our coverage and exclusion areas.
We run the cited check
The applicant's stated figures are tested against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls: height, FSR, setbacks, parking, deep soil and landscaped area, separation and solar access, permissibility, heritage and flood overlays, exhibition compliance.
Merit, or your money back
Supportable grounds get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission, within 5 business days. Nothing supportable gets you a plain-English explanation and a full refund within 24 hours of the verdict. We would rather lose the fee than sell you a hopeless objection.
The honesty clause THE PROMISE
Some cases turn on judgement calls no screen can automate: neighbourhood character, view sharing. If yours is one of them, we tell you and refund you in full within 24 hours rather than sell you a report that cannot do the job. We make no success-rate claims of any kind; be wary of anyone who does.
Pricing
The A$149 step before the full fight.
A planning consultant typically charges well over a thousand dollars for a full objection submission [typical fee range, unverified: get your own quote]. MeritCheck is the cited screen you run first, before you spend the big money, or instead of it.
Full clause-cited merit check, grounds table plus draft submission if merit exists, or plain-English explanation plus full refund within 24 hours if it does not. Delivered within 5 business days.
Choose single household → STREET GROUP · 3+ HOUSEHOLDS, SAME DASame cited check per household address. Neighbours objecting to the same DA each get their own report at the group rate.
Choose street group →Coverage and exclusions: currently available in select NSW LGAs (Northern Beaches and Inner West first, expanding as the rule library grows). DAs in the City of Sydney LGA are never accepted. Every order's address is checked against NSW Government boundary data before payment; City of Sydney orders are declined with a full refund.
Free help, if you would rather not pay us
We sell a cited screen. If you would rather pay nothing, these free services can help you understand the DA and your options:
- NSW Planning Portal · DA tracking and planning-control explainers.
- LawAccess NSW · free legal information and referrals.
- Legal Aid NSW · free legal help for eligible callers.
- Your council's duty planner · free pre-lodgement and exhibition questions about a specific DA.
Scope
What the screen covers, and what it cannot
Tested against the controls
- Height vs LEP maximum, floor-space ratio, setbacks
- Parking rates, deep soil and landscaped area
- Building separation and solar access
- Permissibility in the zone, heritage and flood overlays
- Exhibition and notification compliance
Honestly excluded
- Neighbourhood character and view-sharing judgement calls. No screen can automate these. If your case turns on them, you are told and refunded in full within 24 hours.
- Not legal advice and not a law practice. Planning information only.
- No guaranteed objection outcome; no success-rate claims, ever.
- DAs in the City of Sydney LGA. Hard operational exclusion; orders are checked pre-payment and declined plus refunded.
The honest alternatives
- Read the controls yourself, free. The LEP and DCP for the site are public on the NSW Planning Portal and your council's website. It costs nothing but your weekend.
- Ask the council's duty planner, free. They will explain what the exhibition period allows and what a submission should address.
- Hire a planning consultant for the full fight. Well over a thousand dollars for a full submission, but you get a professional acting for you. If the DA is complex or high-stakes, that may be the right spend.
Why the A$149 screen exists: before you spend the big money, or instead of it, you get a cited answer to one question: is there anything here worth objecting to? If not, you get your money back.
Straight answers
Real objections, answered straight
Is this legal advice? Will you act for me?
Do you guarantee my objection will succeed?
My concern is neighbourhood character or loss of views. Can you help?
Who runs MeritCheck?
Why do you not take City of Sydney LGA orders?
What do you need from me, and how fast is the report?
What exactly do I get for A$149?
When is payment taken?
Before you spend big on the full fight, spend A$149 on the truth.
Clause-cited. Refund-backed. If there is nothing worth objecting to, you will know, and you will not pay for the privilege of finding out.