Check the planning position before committing to premises for a café, gym, clinic, shop or other business. The zone, the former tenant’s activity and the landlord’s consent each provide part of the picture, but none alone confirms that your proposed operation is approved.
Define your actual operation
Prepare a brief describing the activities, floor areas, staff, customers, operating hours, deliveries, equipment, signage and any outdoor areas. A warehouse, fitness studio and consulting clinic can be different planning uses even if they occupy the same building. A change in the nature, scale or intensity of an existing use may require a material change of use application.
Check the site and approval history
- Confirm the zone, local plan and overlays for the exact premises.
- Read the existing development approval, approved plans and conditions, including any amendments.
- Check whether the current use was lawfully established and what your intended operation would change.
- Identify parking, manoeuvring, loading, waste, noise and operating-hour constraints.
- Establish whether the proposal is accepted development subject to requirements or needs assessment.
Keep the approval streams distinct
| Workstream | Questions to resolve |
|---|---|
| Town planning | Is the proposed use and intensity permitted, or is a development application or change needed? |
| Building certification | Is the building suitable for the occupation, layout, access, fire safety and proposed fit-out? |
| Plumbing and technical work | Will drainage, trade waste, extraction or other installations need approval or upgrading? |
| Business licences and permits | Are food, liquor, signage or other permissions relevant? |
| Lease and legal matters | Who obtains approvals, pays for upgrades and bears the risk if permission is not obtained? |
A worked example: adding outdoor café seating
An operator proposes to take over an approved café and extend the dining area into a courtyard. Check whether the courtyard forms part of the approved use, whether patron numbers or hours are limited and how the change affects parking, accessibility, noise and other conditions. The existing café approval does not automatically clear every expansion. The correct pathway depends on the documents and intended changes.
What to do before signing
Ask for the available records, obtain targeted planning advice and discuss building suitability with a certifier or designer. Sunshine Coast Council specifically recommends early development advice before a lease or purchase commitment. Pre-lodgement advice can help identify issues, but it is not an approval. Your solicitor should advise on conditions, investigation periods and fit-out obligations.
When the premises look unsuitable
Compare a reduced operation, an amended layout or another property before committing to an extensive application. Price the technical investigations and likely upgrades alongside rent and fit-out. A location can be attractive commercially but difficult to make suitable for the intended business.
Provide the address and tenancy details, floor plan, proposed activity, customer and staff numbers, hours and any approval records. Ask for a written assessment of the likely pathway and the issues that could affect cost, timing or suitability.
Related planning advice
General Queensland planning guidance. Updated 29 October 2026. Requirements depend on the applicable municipal or council planning controls, approval history and property. Confirm the current position before committing to work or a purchase.