A common enquiry to Findasite is from owners and tenants of industrial properties within the City who would like to establish a mezzanine. Many of these properties have been served with enforcement proceedings being either a Show Cause Notice or Enforcement Notice for a mezzanine extension, without being aware of the requirement for a development approval.
Mezzanine extensions are most commonly seen in the traditional, strata titled industrial sheds which are located within suburbs such as Southport, Burleigh Heads and Nerang. Mezzanine’s within sheds are often established by tenants who have reached capacity within their existing premises and therefore add an extra storey via a mezzanine.
Any extension to an existing Industrial shed will likely require a further development approval with City of Gold Coast, most likely a Minor Change Application. Although these applications are usually supported by the City tenants / owners are required to go through the application process. A Minor Change Application is required in most cases as an Industrial estate within the Gold Coast would likely have required a development approval when it was originally established. A Minor Change application updates this original development approval to then approve the mezzanine within the relevant industrial shed.
The key consideration from a planning perspective when considering a mezzanine extension is the additional car parking that the mezzanine will trigger. The standard car parking rate for Low Impact Industry / Warehouse uses within the city is 2 car parks per tenancy plus 1 car park per 50m2 of total use area (more commonly known as floor area) (only 1 car park per 100m2 is required once the unit is over 500m2). The majority of industrial developments within the city are already at capacity in regard to car parking, with car parking also commonly allocated within lease agreements. This can make it difficult to achieve the acceptable car parking as per the Gold Coast City Plan when additional car parks are required as part of a mezzanine extension. An alternative solution will often have to be put forward by the applicant, or justification will need to be provided by a traffic engineer. The potential short fall in car parking should be examined by any owners / tenants that are considering establishing a mezzanine.
Another important consideration for a mezzanine extension is the infrastructure charges that will be payable. An infrastructure charge is issued by the City to aide in paying for infrastructure within the City, in consideration of the extra pressure brought on infrastructure by development in the City. Infrastructure charges are issued at a rate of $54.79 per m2 of gross floor area for the majority of industrial uses (as of 13 June 2021). This charge should be considered by all tenants / owners who establish a mezzanine.
Another consideration is the requirement for body corporate consent. Should an owner wish to lodge a Minor Change Application to City of Gold Coast body corporate consent will be required in most instances. Depending on the relationship between the unit owner and the body corporate this can be problematic in some instances. Before proceeding with a mezzanine this should be considered.
Should you be considering a mezzanine extension or have been issued with a Show Cause Notice please contact Findasite Town Planners for advice on the planning requirements.