NSW neighbours facing a nearby development application

Your neighbour lodged a DA. We check it against the real planning controls — and refund you in full if there's nothing worth objecting to.

Send the DA documents. We test the applicant's own stated figures — height, floor space, setbacks, parking, landscaping, solar access, zoning, overlays — against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls, and cite the exact clause for every finding. Two ways this ends:

If there's merit

MERIT FOUND

You get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission to review and lodge yourself — within 5 business days.

Illustrative format · every ground cites its clause and the DA page it came from

If there isn't

NO MERIT

You get a plain-English explanation of why — and every cent back within 24 hours. No arguments.

The refund promise is the trust mechanism, not a marketing line.

Check a DA · $149 flat See what the screen tests

$149 per DA$119 each for 3+ households, same DA

Full refundif no supportable grounds — no arguments

5 business daysreport delivery, human-produced

Clause-citedevery finding traceable to its source

What the screen tests

The applicant's own figures, checked against the controls.

Below is the format of the grounds table — every line cites the exact clause and the page of the DA document. Example values are illustrative, not a real assessment.

Control tested	Clause cited	Applicant's figure	Finding
Building height	LEP cl 4.3 — max 8.5m	9.2m (DA p.14)	GROUND Exceeds by 0.7m
Front setback	DCP cl 3.2 — 6m min	6.0m (DA p.22)	COMPLIANT
Deep soil area	DCP cl 5.1 — 25% min	18% (DA p.31)	GROUND 7 points short
Solar access	DCP cl 6.4 — 3h to living areas	Compliant (DA p.40)	COMPLIANT

Illustrative example of the report format — not a real DA assessment. Reports are produced by qualified contract town planners working to a fixed public-instrument rubric. Never automated verdicts; never "AI says you'll win."

How it works

Four steps. One honest answer.

Send the DA

Upload the DA documents — or just the DA number, council, and site address. Before payment we confirm the DA is still on exhibition and check the address against our coverage and exclusion areas.

We run the cited check

The applicant's stated figures are tested against the applicable LEP, DCP and SEPP controls: height, FSR, setbacks, parking, deep soil and landscaped area, separation and solar access, permissibility, heritage and flood overlays, exhibition compliance.

Merit → grounds table

If supportable grounds exist, you get a clause-cited grounds table plus a draft submission for you to review and lodge yourself — within 5 business days.

No merit → full refund, within 24 hours

If the check finds nothing worth objecting to, you get a plain-English explanation of why — and every cent back within 24 hours. We'd rather lose the fee than sell you a hopeless objection.

The honesty clause LOAD-BEARING

Some cases turn on judgement calls no screen can automate — neighbourhood character, view sharing. If yours is one of them, we tell you and refund you rather than sell you a report that can't do the job. We make no success-rate claims of any kind; be wary of anyone who does.

Pricing

The $149 step before the full fight.

Planning consultants charge ~$1,200+ for full objection submissions. MeritCheck is the cited screen you run first — before you spend the big money, or instead of it.

Single household

$149 flat per DA, per address

Full clause-cited merit check, grounds table + draft submission if merit exists — or plain-English explanation + full refund within 24h if it doesn't. Delivered within 5 business days.

Check a DA · $149

Street group — 3+ households, same DA

$119 each

Same cited check per household address. Neighbours objecting to the same DA each get their own report at the group rate.

Check a DA · $119 ea

Coverage & exclusions: launch coverage is staged to select NSW LGAs (starting with Northern Beaches and Inner West, expanding as the rule library grows). DAs in the City of Sydney LGA are never accepted — every order's address is checked against NSW Government boundary data pre-payment, and City of Sydney orders are declined with a full refund.

Scope

What the screen covers — and what it can't

Tested against the controls

Height vs LEP maximum, floor-space ratio, setbacks
Parking rates, deep soil and landscaped area
Building separation and solar access
Permissibility in the zone, heritage and flood overlays
Exhibition and notification compliance

Honestly excluded

Neighbourhood character and view-sharing judgement calls — no screen can automate these. If your case turns on them, you're told and refunded.
Not legal advice and not a law practice — planning information only.
No guaranteed objection outcome; no success-rate claims, ever.
DAs in the City of Sydney LGA — hard operational exclusion; orders are checked pre-payment and declined + refunded.

FAQ

Real objections, answered straight

Is this legal advice? Will you act for me?

No. MeritCheck is a planning-information service, not a law practice. We give you cited information and a draft submission you review and lodge yourself. We don't represent you, appear for you, or advise you on legal strategy.

Do you guarantee my objection will succeed?

No — and be wary of anyone who does. We make no success-rate claims of any kind. What we guarantee is the honesty of the screen: supportable grounds get a cited case; nothing supportable gets you a full refund within 24 hours.

My concern is neighbourhood character / loss of views. Can you help?

Probably not — and we'll say so upfront. Character and view-sharing are judgement calls no cited screen can automate. If your case turns on them, you'll be told plainly and refunded in full rather than sold a report that can't do the job.

Who runs MeritCheck?

Operated by the MeritCheck team — operator details confirmed before launch. We market no credentials and no "insider" framing: trust rests on clause citations you can check yourself, and on the refund promise. (Staged prototype — operator structure pending.)

Why don't you take City of Sydney LGA orders?

It's a hard operational exclusion. Every order's site address is checked against NSW Government boundary data before payment; City of Sydney LGA orders are declined with a full refund.

What do you need from me, and how fast is the report?

The DA documents, or the DA number + council + site address. We first confirm the DA is still on exhibition. Reports are delivered within 5 business days of a confirmed order; refunds for no-merit findings are issued within 24 hours of the verdict.

Before you spend $1,200 on the full fight, spend $149 on the truth.

Clause-cited. Refund-backed. If there's nothing worth objecting to, you'll know — and you won't pay for the privilege of finding out.

Check a DA · $149

Planning information only — not legal advice. MeritCheck provides general planning information cited to public planning instruments. It is not legal advice, not a law practice, and not a site-specific planning assessment. Objection outcomes can't be guaranteed. Coverage is staged by LGA; City of Sydney LGA development applications are never accepted. Solicitor clearance is pending before any public operation; all copy on this page describes the staged design. Pricing shown is staged prototype pricing.