18 months
RFI to approval
A Request for Further Information is where most applications stall. Treating it as a project with a schedule — not a piece of correspondence — kept it moving.
A development application in Yarragon, regional Gippsland, running from September 2025 through to April 2026 — the long game of regional planning.
Baw Baw Shire issued a Request for Further Information, the point at which many applications stall for months or lapse entirely. The RFI required arborist assessment of existing vegetation, gas service abolishment, drainage evidence and coordinated town-planning responses. A sister site at 12–14 Market Street, Yarragon ran concurrently with its own Gippsland Water requirements, including an as-laid sanitary drainage plan.
Treated the RFI as a project with a schedule rather than a piece of correspondence. Tendered the arborist engagement, comparing fee proposals before instructing, coordinated the surveyor, town planner and builder to close each RFI item, and maintained a direct working relationship with the council's planning officer throughout.
The RFI submission was lodged complete. The council planner's own words were "Thanks for your quick response and understanding, it is much appreciated" and "I do very much appreciate your patience with the application to date." Gippsland Water's response to the parallel Market Street submission: "Brilliant, that's exactly what we needed."
Regional councils and referral authorities are chronically under-resourced. Being the applicant who submits complete, well-organised responses — and is easy to deal with — measurably speeds up assessment.
This case study is a representative example. Full details and figures are available on request — get in touch to discuss a comparable structure for your project.