Today on the show we are going to be talking planning, with a highly experienced planning consultant, and I think you will pick up lots of tips from our discussion. My guest is town planner David Crowder from Ratio. David has more than 25 years’ experience in town planning. He specialises in statutory planning and providing expert evidence before Victoria’s planning tribunal and Planning Panels forums. And as you will hear, David was an expert witness we called in our failed VCAT case. So we share a few battle scars. Planning is obviously a critical phase of a development project, and the outcome of a planning application sets the course for the project, so getting it right or at least getting an outcome you can live with, is extremely important. And I, of all people, fully understand that now. David and I discuss why town planners are important, ways to avoid making planning mistakes, and lessons David has learned along the way about how to deal with councils and objectors, and the many other challenges that pop up along the way… I hope it helps you to achieve a permit sooner on your next planning application. In some ways I find the planning process a bit like dark magic, unless you are doing a simple cookie cutter approach to the site, with lots of precedence in the area, there’s a witches brew of ingredients that go into a planning decision and you never quite know how it might turn out. There are a lot of moving parts and a lot of variables, particularly the human emotions that may get stirred up. Anyway, here are three lessons I took out of my discussion with David… Property Development Training If you are interested in learning the fundamentals of property development, in your own time and at your own pace, then be sure to head over to www.propertydevelopertraining.com and take a look. I take you step by step through the development process so you know exactly what is needed to find a site, run a feasibility and complete a small scale property development, be that a duplex or 3 or 4 unit site. The training includes a bonus program called Taking It To The Next Level for people who may want to go into developing full-time, along with another bonus course called Raising Capital which covers how to raise money for your projects. So head over to propertydevelopertraining.com and take a look... I would love to see you on the inside... Property Developer Quiz Keen to find out how ready you might be to become a developer? Then take the Property Developer Quiz (https://www.propertydevelopertraining.com/quiz) and get a sense of where you are at… Become a Million Dollar Property Developer Grab my book Become a Million Dollar Property Developer about my journey into property development. This book is ideal for anyone who intends to get into small-scale property development and wants an insider’s guide to successfully obtaining wealth, fulfilment, and glory. In this book, Justin will share how he succeeded in delivering a 20-townhouse project on his first property development project and what he learned along the way. Many people have a dream of becoming a property developer. They aspire to build properties, grow portfolios, and amass great wealth. However, many people often struggle with making the leap into property development. This book has the answers for how you can make the leap into property development. Grab your copy now. Social Connection Property Developer Podcast Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/propertydeveloperpodcastProperty Developer Podcast Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/property_developer_podcast/Property Developer Podcast LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/property-developer-podcast Lessons for real estate developers 1. Consider the strategic policy support and context of your site This is the bedrock for how your application should be viewed by the council planner.