Don’t Get Caught Out: Why Councils Are Asking for AILA-Registered Landscape Architects — And What You Can Do About It

As the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, more and more local councils are placing a greater emphasis on landscape design as an integral component of development applications (DAs). Most recently, the City of Sydney has begun requesting letters of support from AILA-Registered Landscape Architects (RLAs) as part of the DA process — a signal that expectations around design quality, compliance, and documentation standards are shifting across the industry.

While this may seem like a small procedural addition, it can have significant impacts on approval timeframes. If your application lacks the appropriate landscape input — or simply doesn’t demonstrate that input clearly — you may find yourself facing unnecessary delays or Requests for Information (RFIs) from Council.

So what’s changing?

City of Sydney is now asking for:

• A review and letter of support from an AILA-Registered Landscape Architect to accompany select DAs

• Clear, considered landscape plans that show how proposals align with public domain interface guidelines, canopy cover targets, and deep soil requirements

• Confirmation that the landscape strategy is not only compliant, but design-led and site-responsive

And it’s not just City of Sydney. We anticipate other LGAs will follow suit as councils continue to prioritise resilient, well-integrated open space outcomes.

Why does this matter?

Without an AILA RLA involved early — even in a light-touch capacity — your application could:

• Be delayed or rejected

• Trigger RFIs that require costly and time-consuming revisions

• Undermine your project’s overall design integrity and delivery timeline

  
  

How Place Supply can help

At Place Supply, we offer agile, freelance landscape architectural design support — including RLA peer reviews and supporting letters — tailored to your project’s needs and scope.

Whether you just need a professional endorsement to satisfy Council requirements, or full design documentation for DA or CDC submissions, we work flexibly with architects, developers, and landscape teams to ensure smooth approvals and high-quality outcomes.

Don’t wait until Council asks the question.

Get in touch with Place Supply today to start the professional relationship and ensure your next development has the right landscape expertise behind it from day one.