How to find site information to assess feasibility
There are many different sites on the market and all have their advantages and disadvantages. One way to start assessing the feasibility of a site is to use the websites below to gather as much information as possible about a site. This includes information about site slope, boundaries, zoning, permitted uses, previous development applications and sale prices.
Use sixmaps to reassess the site area, check the contours, boundaries and get a scaled map of the site. Use the advanced search for the best results - the normal search option often misinterprets street names. Here is a link to sixmaps: https://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/
Check your land value here, this will give you the dimensions of your site in metres (if it is a square site). This is important because it gives you the size of the site and there are some things that have a minimum site width such as dual occupancies.
Check the Land Zoning here to make sure what you want to do is a permitted use.
Check the maximum Building Height here to make sure that you can build what you need.
Check if there has been a previous DA lodged on the site. Type in "Development Application Tracker" and "name of the council" into google. This will give you a good idea of previous owners intentions towards the site and how successful they were. It is often also a good idea to check nearby properties that have had a similar development. This will allow you to look at what kind of consultants and reports council will require.
Check the sales history of the site using https://www.onthehouse.com.au/
Do a dial before you dig on the site, there may be a large sewer or other service through the site that will add expense to the project. You can also use it to check that the site has all the services you require. https://www.1100.com.au/
When you have found a site that you think will work it is a good idea to get a local architect and town planner to do a feasibility on it. This is so they can use their knowledge of local councils to advise you. The key here is to use local consultants because they will give you the best advice possible.