PRACTICAL GUIDE

Inputs to gather for an initial development feasibility review

Start with the actual site, an explicitly defined proposal and a documented set of cost, timing and revenue assumptions. Financial feasibility and permission to develop are separate questions.

Published 2026-10-23 · LANDICATION · Educational content

Confirm the site and the proposal

Match the address, unit where relevant and parcel before analysing a site. Identify the responsible council and current planning controls. Record what is known about the intended use and design, and what remains unconfirmed.

A land area or zone alone cannot establish an achievable dwelling count. Boundaries, access, services, easements, overlays, physical constraints and applicable assessment requirements may matter. Obtain site-specific advice where needed.

Build a cost schedule with clear boundaries

Separate acquisition, construction, other project costs, finance and selling costs. Decide where contingency and allowances sit, and ensure each expense appears once. Use current scoped quotes where available; label all other values as assumptions.

The development workspace contains available estimates and supported editable inputs. Review its definitions before using a combined budget, so that you do not add a cost already included in another line.

Check timing, finance and proceeds

Keep finance assumptions consistent with the model’s borrowing base and interest period. Confirm separately how a lender would fund drawdowns, fees and delays; a simplified allowance does not reproduce a lending contract.

Document the basis for sale proceeds and selling costs. Confirm tax treatment with a qualified adviser rather than assuming that all proceeds are available profit. A marketing price is not evidence of an eventual sale.

Test uncertainty before committing

Recalculate with supported changed inputs and record the differences. The public sensitivity example isolates construction cost and proceeds changes to explain the arithmetic. Real risks can occur together and may also extend the project period.

What changes if construction costs increase?
What happens if sale proceeds are lower?
Which costs increase if delivery takes longer?
Which assumptions require planning, design, engineering, lender or tax confirmation?

Further checks

The official resources below can help you check current requirements. Links checked 2026-10-23.

Information is general and does not take account of your circumstances. Confirm current requirements, costs and site-specific issues with the responsible authority or appropriate adviser.

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