To make your commercial property and business a success, you need to understand and get your zoning right.
In Australia, every piece of land is part of a zone that dictates how the land in that area is able to be used.
You can have an exciting commercial space but to make it effective you need to be able to legally run your business there free of any restrictions that stop you operating.
There are four main zones and they are residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural and within those there exists sub-categories to help define exactly what type of activity can be undertaken on that land.
The zoning laws in Victoria are unique to the State, and each State and Territory Government takes care of their own zoning laws and it’s the local councils that decide on which zones are appropriate for their local areas.
It’s local government that then also ensures residents, businesses and properties comply with zone regulations.
That’s why it’s your local council that you need to contact if you’re planning to make any modifications or developments to your commercial property to get clearance and to apply for any necessary permits.
WBP Property Group’s Justin Thomas says zoning laws are the thing that dictates the use and development of commercial property and that in turn dictates the value of that property.
“The existing use may not be allowable under the zoning and could possibly be prohibited,” he told Property Observer.
“Purchasers must also have regard to planning overlays and investigate future planning proposals in their purchasing decision.”
