Charles Sturt, West Torrens and the western part of Port Adelaide Enfield make up the Adelaide West region of the state's regional plan, where most recent new homes have come from small scale infill. Work out which survey you need, then talk to an independent Licensed Surveyor.
Land surveying in the Western Suburbs usually starts with a block that someone wants to do more with. The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP) says most of the new dwelling supply in its Adelaide West region in recent years has come from small scale infill in suburbs such as Findon, Plympton and Kurralta Park. Before a designer, builder or council can get far on a block like that, somebody has to know where the boundary is, what the levels are, or whether the block can be divided at all.
Torrens Survey Co is an advertising and introduction service. It doesn't carry out surveys. It puts you in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor, who quotes and contracts with you directly. In South Australia, only licensed surveyors can undertake a boundary survey or place a survey mark that defines a property boundary (Surveyors Board SA), so check any surveyor's licence on the Surveyors Board register before you agree to anything. Not sure which survey you need? Call (08) 5550 3814 and start there.
For a fence going up or coming down between neighbours in Charles Sturt, West Torrens or Port Adelaide Enfield, or when the pegs have gone. A fence line doesn't show the legal boundary; only a Licensed Surveyor can determine it.
The usual way to get the existing levels and boundary offsets a site plan needs, whether the designer is drawing an extension or a new home on a Western Suburbs block.
Thinking about splitting a block in Findon, Plympton or Kurralta Park? A Licensed Surveyor works alongside the council, planning consent and Land Services SA steps that come before new titles issue.
Buying in the Western Suburbs? An identification survey is how owners check for encroachments involving neighbouring properties before they buy or sell.
GARP's Adelaide West region includes West Torrens, Charles Sturt and the western portion of Port Adelaide Enfield. It records that most of the new dwelling supply in recent years has come from small scale infill, in suburbs such as Findon, Plympton and Kurralta Park. Strategic infill has also played a big part, with developments such as Bowden, West Lakes and Port Adelaide. The region's annual housing target for 2021 to 2031 is 1,450 a year, and that figure covers the whole region, not any one council.
The plan says recent amendments to tree canopy cover and general infill policy will place a greater reliance on strategic infill development, and it names development commencing at Brompton (Gasworks) and Morphettville Racecourse. Other places it singles out include Hindmarsh and West Thebarton, Port Adelaide as a regional centre, Seaton as a renewal precinct, and Findon, Plympton and Camden Park as regeneration areas. It also says no new general infill development areas have been planned or identified.
A planning region isn't a permission slip. Nothing in the plan says any particular allotment can be divided or built on more intensively. That's a question for the council, PlanSA and the Licensed Surveyor who looks at your title and your block.
This site hasn't read the council-level zone, heritage or overlay maps for Charles Sturt, West Torrens or Port Adelaide Enfield, and it holds no local soil information, so it won't tell you that a street is suitable or restricted. The zone and any overlays on your block are checked by the council and the Licensed Surveyor. The LSSA fact sheet lists a preliminary enquiry at the local council as the first step.
After that comes contact with a land surveyor and possibly a conveyancer or solicitor, then approval from the State Commission Assessment Panel, lodgement with Land Services SA, examination of the plan and dealings, deposit of the plan and issue of title. Land Services SA says the process can take many months, sometimes even years. See the land division surveys page for how it fits together.
On money, surveyors quote each job, and the price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the type of survey. A division also carries government fees on top of the surveyor's fee, and those change every 1 July, so ask any quote which financial year it uses and whether it's including or excluding GST. The cost guide has more on what feeds into a division.
If a fence between two Western Suburbs neighbours is the sticking point, the Legal Services Commission says a survey will show the precise location of the boundary. If you both want it you can share the cost, and if not, the person who arranges the survey pays for it. Under the Fences Act 1975, the cost of a survey reasonably required for the fencing work counts as a fencing cost, but a neighbour can object and a Magistrate then decides whether it was reasonably required. A neighbour has 30 days to serve a cross-notice, so read any notice you receive carefully. This is general information, not legal advice; the Legal Services Commission and a solicitor can help with a dispute.
For a design or development application, the site plan has to show the boundaries and dimensions of the site, distances from proposed buildings to the boundaries, and existing and proposed levels. A feature and level survey is the usual way to get that information. If council, a builder or your designer has asked for one, a Licensed Surveyor can tell you what is needed for your block.
If you're buying, an identification survey is how owners check that a house, shed or fence sits inside the title. SA Government says an encroachment can include buildings, driveways, eaves and balconies, and that encroachment disputes go to the Supreme Court. When the pegs are missing or a neighbour disagrees, start with a boundary survey. Call (08) 5550 3814 to be pointed to the right one.
No. The regional plan says most recent new dwelling supply in the Adelaide West region has come from small scale infill in those suburbs, but that describes the area, not your allotment. Planning consent and the Land Services SA process still apply, and the process can take many months, sometimes even years. A preliminary enquiry at the council is the first step.
No. The plan says the Adelaide West region includes West Torrens, Charles Sturt and the western portion of Port Adelaide Enfield. If you're not sure which council your block sits in, your rates notice or the council will tell you. Either way, the council is where a land division preliminary enquiry starts, and a Licensed Surveyor can look at your title.
A fence line doesn't show the legal boundary, and SA Government says the boundary can only be determined by a licensed surveyor. Under the Fences Act 1975, the cost of a survey reasonably required for the fencing work can be included as a fencing cost, though a neighbour may object and a Magistrate then decides. Get legal advice if the dispute is heated.
Surveyors quote each job, and the price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the type of survey. Very few Adelaide firms publish a dollar figure for boundary or feature and level surveys, and this site doesn't have a Western Suburbs price. Ask for a written quote and check whether it's including or excluding GST.
Tell us what the survey is for and get a written quote.
