Planning and regulatory review

There are a lot of great ideas out there, many of which never get off the ground because they are tangled in red tape. We start by assessing your project and identifying what you need to do to get an approval.

What parts of the planning scheme need to be satisfied? What other legislation needs to be complied with for things such as operational licences? We provide a clear road map forward.

Political strategy

It is not just politicians that make decisions. In any project the important first step is identifying which bureaucrats need to be convinced to support your idea. Too many people ignore this first step and lose the opportunity to build a solid base of support.

From this point, in most larger projects elected representatives will be making a final call on the recommendations of bureaucrats. We clearly set out a political strategy for your team to follow to maximise your chances of success.

Stakeholder relations

The key to getting political support for your projects is to try to get as many third party supporters as possible on board (or at least not working against you). Too many developers ignore the potential for creating projects that have broad community support which makes it easier for discretions to be exercised in their favour.

Whitemark sets out a stakeholder engagement strategy and then actively pursues the strategy on your behalf. This could involve briefing neighbouring property owners, presenting at community groups or seeking support of local business organisations.

Media management

Political positions are often formed in response to media reports of contentious projects. It is important that the benefits of your project are properly communicated to ensure that the media does not encourage opposition.

Whitemark actively engages with the media and on occasions stimulates debate through writing editorial pieces. We also respond on your behalf to print, radio and TV media requests to explain your project.

We aim to create a political environment where approval for your project is an easy conclusion to come to because the benefits have been properly articulated and communicated.

Political engagement

Once all the groundwork has been laid to create the best possible environment in which your project may be considered it is then time to engage with the people who actually make the decisions.

We do not “lobby”. We provide a far more meaningful engagement and brief decision makers on not just the merits of a project but also the planning, legal and regulatory framework.

We discourage the use of lobbyists because we do not believe it is an effective way to enhance the chances of approvals being granted.

Value adding to property

Whitemark aims to add value to your property or business through pursuing planning and regulatory approvals to maximise potential.
Often we are approached with a brief to obtain approvals for plans which have already been developed.

However, we also assist property owners in creatively developing cost effective plans to add value to assets – and then we organise the permits and approvals to proceed.