A common question put to us at Findasite Town Planners is ‘can I have a second driveway (or vehicle crossover as per the Gold Coast City Plan)?’ Each Council looks at this differently, with City of Gold Coast having their own rules that they apply. The standard rules for a second Driveway are provided in the Gold Coast City Plan, but as with the majority of the rules within the City Plan, they can be bent or alternative solutions provided in some instances. The standard rules for a vehicle crossover for land uses within the Gold Coast are as follows:
Dwelling House (Standard single House) – 1 vehicle crossover allowed, 2 vehicle crossovers allowed if the property has at least 40m of road frontage
Dual Occupancy (Duplex) or Multiple Dwellings (Townhouses or Apartments)- 1 vehicle crossover allowed, 2 vehicle crossovers allowed if the property has at least 20m of road frontage.
Non Residential Land Uses – 2 vehicle crossovers
The most common request for Findasite when it comes to a second driveway is for Dual Occupancies. Many properties that are suitable for Dual Occupancies within the City are not provided with a road frontage of 20m, creating possible complications for applicants trying to achieve two vehicle crossovers. Findasite has had recent success at achieving two vehicle crossovers for Dual Occupancies on allotments with as little road frontage as 16.8m. The 16.8m in width appears to be the absolute minimum road frontage that City of Gold Coast will allow for two vehicle crossovers. This is due to the city enforcing a strict 7m separation between vehicle crossovers. The 7m separation appears to be non negotiable with the City over the past few years. This is due to the 7m identified as the minimum separation to allow for a single on street car park. Findasite is aware of a couple of instances where the 7m appears to have been bent, but this appears to be due to either illegal construction of a second vehicle crossovers or an oversight by Council during review.
It is not common for Findasite to be involved in additional vehicle crossover applications for a single Dwelling House, with this usually left for contractors to complete. Many examples of single Dwellings with a road frontage of less than 40m and having a second vehicle crossover exist within the city.
Other factors beyond just road frontage are also considered for any new vehicle crossover. This includes the existence of hazards (traffic poles, lights, street trees, traffic islands etc), access to higher order roads (main roads etc) and safety. It is important that should anyone be considering a second vehicle crossover that they check with a town planner for initial advice. In some instances, a traffic engineer may need to be engaged.
Should you have any questions related to establishing a second driveway please contact Findasite Town Planners on 0433 145 514 or 0409 888 498.