The landscape plan is a condition, not a suggestion
Most councils approve a multi-unit development or subdivision against a set of plans that includes a landscape plan, and then add conditions that change or add to it. Those conditions are public, usually on the council's development application search, and they're the first thing to read before you price a developer's job. Three real examples show how much detail they can carry and how different councils are.
| Council | What the condition asked for | How long it is maintained |
|---|---|---|
| Logan City Council (12 townhouses) | Two medium trees in 100 litre pots behind two units, street trees from the council's species list at one per 15 metres, and a landscape architect's certificate before the use starts | A 12 week establishment period, then certification again after a 12 month maintenance period |
| Inner West Council, Sydney | Named street tree species in 200 litre stock, tree pits and soil vaults to council detail, and council inspection of the trees and pits before and after planting | 12 months from planting under an agreement with a horticulturist or arborist, restarting if a tree is replaced |
| City of Greater Geelong (subdivisions) | Street trees in at least 45 litre containers and about 1.5 metres tall, generally one per lot, with hold point inspections during construction | Generally 24 months after practical completion, with a bond held for the whole period |
The practical lesson is that the plan drawing alone rarely tells you the job. Pot sizes, the species list, who must plant the trees, the inspections and the maintenance length all sit in the conditions or in a council standard the conditions refer to, and each changes your price. Ask the developer for the decision notice and the stamped plans when you're asked to quote, and if they don't have them to hand, you can usually find them yourself.
Street trees and verges belong to council
Work on the verge is work on council land, so council keeps control of it even though the developer is paying. Geelong's standards ask for seven working days' notice before planting so a council officer can inspect the marked-out locations, and the Inner West consent required inspections before and after planting. In Brisbane, street trees are protected under the Natural Assets Local Law, excavation inside a council tree's critical root zone needs a permit, and a new driveway needs at least two metres' clearance from an existing street tree. If you're laying paths or turf near existing trees, check those rules before you dig.
Replacements are where the money goes. Geelong says a replacement planted just before handover won't be accepted and will extend the maintenance period, and the Inner West consent restarts the 12 month clock from the date a tree is replaced. A dead street tree in month eleven can therefore cost the developer another year of maintenance, which is why they'll pay more for a landscaper who waters through summer and reports early.
Through the builder or straight from the developer
How the work reaches you changes who you answer to. If the landscaping is in the building contract, you're the builder's subcontractor, you work to their programme and site rules, and the builder claims your work in their progress payments. If the developer keeps landscaping out of the building contract, which is common for street trees, communal open space and the maintenance period, you deal with the development manager and often the landscape architect who has to certify your work.
Either way the licence follows the work, not the client. In Queensland, structural landscaping over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence, and the class covers retaining walls up to the height that doesn't need engineering certification under local law, as well as decks, fences, pergolas, paving not for vehicles and landscape drainage. In NSW a contractor licence is needed for structural landscaping over $5,000 including GST under a residential building contract, and unlicensed work carries fines of up to $22,000 for an individual. In Victoria, Consumer Affairs says practitioners must be registered with the Building and Plumbing Commission to do work worth more than $10,000, and the commission registers a domestic builder class limited to structural landscaping. If a job mixes planting with walls or decking, price the structural part separately so it's clear which licence applies.
Pricing the part that comes after practical completion
Councils hold bonds against the maintenance period, and they can be large. Wyndham City in Victoria calculates its outstanding works bond at 150% of the landscape cost, including 104 weeks of maintenance, and Geelong holds a maintenance bond covering 125% of the cost of reserve maintenance and tree establishment. A developer with that money held wants to know exactly what you'll do to get it back, so set out the visits, watering in dry months, replacements included, and the reports you'll send. Geelong's quarterly maintenance checklist is a good template for those reports even if your council doesn't ask for one.
Write the maintenance period as its own line with its own start date, because it usually begins at practical completion or council approval rather than when you finish planting. The property developers page covers finding developers and timing your approach, the landscapers page covers the other buyers worth writing to, and the council work guide is useful if you'd like to quote council's own parks and streetscapes too. If you'd rather not write to developers yourself, Curlew writes to development managers near you in your business name.
A first email you could send
Hi Rachel, I run a landscaping business in Logan and a lot of our work is the landscape conditions on townhouse and small subdivision approvals. We price from the decision notice as well as the plan, plant street trees to council’s stock sizes, and handle the maintenance period with a short report each quarter so the landscape architect can sign off. We hold a QBCC structural landscaping licence for walls and paving. If you have a project coming up to practical completion, would it help if I priced the landscape conditions on it? Sam If this isn’t for you, just let me know and I’ll leave it there.
An example only. The business is made up.