The Building Committee considers technical matters referred to it relating to compliance with the performance provisions of the Building Code of Australia in the National Construction Code series and other specific building rules compliance issues. The Development Act 1993 details the matters that can or must be referred to the Building Committee for an opinion or for concurrence as part of the building rules assessment process.
Concurrence must be issued by the Building Committee before a relevant authority (council or private certifier) can issue building rules consent for proposed building work that-
A relevant authority may seek an opinion from the Building Committee in relation to whether-
An opinion must be sought from the Building Committee by a private certifier in relation to Crown development where-
A relevant authority should have regard for the opinion of the Building Committee where it has been sought, however the ultimate decision to issue or not issue a building rules consent lies with the relevant authority.
Applications should be forwarded to the Executive Officer via postal mail or email:
An application fee applies when lodging an application to the Building Committee. The applicable fee is prescribed in Schedule 6 of the Regulations and varies depending on the type of referral and the classification of the building.
Current fees are detailed below:
Fees can be paid via cheque and posted to the above address or by credit card by contacting Planning Services - phone 1800 752 664 (Option #6)
An application should include the following information to ensure that the Committee can deal with the application as expeditiously as possible:
Matters are heard on an application-by-application basis. A date and time for a meeting to consider an application will be agreed through consultation with the applicant, the Chair and other Committee members. Unless otherwise agreed, meetings will be held at 50 Flinders Street, Adelaide. Meetings are held in private.
The Committee may request a site inspection to better understand a specific issue or particular circumstance in relation to the proposed development. Where this is required, an inspection will be arranged with the applicant and/or relevant authority at a mutually convenient time. It should be noted that a site visit is not a substitute for detailed documentation.
Committee members are not permitted to hear matters in which they have or it may be perceived that they have a conflict of interest.
The applicant (private certifier / council building surveyor) should attend the meeting to discuss their application. The Chair may agree that it is appropriate for others to attend a meeting on behalf of the applicant (eg fire engineer or other consultant), depending on the matter to be considered.
Electronic communication or other telecommunication devices may be considered an acceptable method for the purposes of hearing verbal representations from all parties relevant to the application. The utilisation of electronic communication or other telecommunication devices will be at the discretion of the Chair in consultation with the Department.
Meetings will commence on time, or as soon as a quorum is present. If a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the commencement time, the Chair may adjourn the hearing to another date and time.
Rules of natural justice prevail – all parties involved in the application are given the opportunity to be heard and to respond to opposing views.
Meetings convened to hear an application will be conducted as follows:
The Committee may, for the purposes of making a determination, request additional information or clarification during the course of the meeting.
Determinations are made based on the documentation before the Committee and on the basis of a majority decision of the Members present.
Where a request for additional information or clarification occurs, the determination will be deferred until such time as the additional information or clarification has been provided. A second meeting may be necessary to consider any additional information or a determination may be made out-of-session.
Minutes from each Committee meeting will be published on the Building Committee website, unless commercial-in-confidence or other matters fairly dictate that this should not occur, at the discretion of the Committee.
Applicants can generally expect to receive the Committee’s determination in writing within 5 (five) working days of the determination being made.
Where an application must be referred to the Building Committee, the statutory time frame in which a decision must be made by the relevant authority is extended by two weeks in accordance with Regulation 41 of the Development Regulations 2008.
No appeal lies against determinations made by the Building Committee in accordance with Section 36 of the Development Act 1993.
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