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  • More
    • HOME
    • SERVICES
      • Due Dilligence
      • Feasibility Studies
      • Zoning/Planning HBU
      • Acquisitions
      • Capital Advisory
      • Transaction Advice
      • Development Management
    • TYPICAL CLIENTS
      • Rezoned Land Owners
      • Property Developers
      • Private Syndicates
      • Investment Funds
      • Professional Advisors
      • Government Bodies
      • Religious/NFP Groups
    • TEAM
  • HOME
  • SERVICES
    • Due Dilligence
    • Feasibility Studies
    • Zoning/Planning HBU
    • Acquisitions
    • Capital Advisory
    • Transaction Advice
    • Development Management
  • TYPICAL CLIENTS
    • Rezoned Land Owners
    • Property Developers
    • Private Syndicates
    • Investment Funds
    • Professional Advisors
    • Government Bodies
    • Religious/NFP Groups
  • TEAM

ZONING/PLANNING HIGHEST & BEST USE

Highest & Best Use is where property development value is either secured early—or quietly leaked later. 


In NSW, rezoning and planning pathways create opportunity, but they also introduce risk: unclear assumptions, consultant drift, misaligned design iterations, and approval pathways that don’t match feasibility or capital realities.


Propertywise does not replace your town planner. Our role is to provide commercial governance and oversight so that planning decisions are decision-led, time-aware and aligned to the outcome you actually want: best-value, highest-probability execution.


This is especially valuable for rezoned landowners who need an impartial view of options (sell vs uplift vs JV/option) and for developers/syndicates who need confidence that the planning pathway is credible before committing capital.

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PROJECT EXPERIENCE INCLUDES

WHAT WE DO

HBU DEFINITION

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

PATHWAY GOVERNANCE

  • Establish the objective and decision context: sell / uplift / JV/option / acquire / fund / deliver.
  • Define what “best outcome” means in commercial terms: value maximisation, probability of approval, time, complexity, risk tolerance.
  • Develop a realistic HBU option set (not a single outcome): permissible built forms, staging approaches, interim strategies, alternate exit structures.
  • Identify what the market will actually underwrite (buyers, JV partners, capital) and where uncertainty will be discounted.

PATHWAY GOVERNANCE

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

PATHWAY GOVERNANCE

  • Set a planning decision roadmap: pre-lodgement → lodgement → assessment → determination → contingency pathways.
  • Oversee planner/consultant scopes to ensure work stays aligned to the value thesis and timeline (prevent open-ended iterations).
  • Maintain an issues register linking planning/design movements to time, cost, risk and value impacts.
  • Identify friction points early (policy conflicts, interface constraints, contributions, design triggers) and set mitigation actions.
  • Translate technical planning inputs into decision-ready outputs for owners, investors, boards and counterparties.

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

  • High-level constraints framing (as relevant): access, easements, servicing assumptions, flood/bushfire triggers, heritage/interface, contamination flags.
  • Confirm “fatal flaws” early and define the minimum verification work required before major spend.
  • Coordinate technical inputs where needed (planner, engineers, QS, legal) without duplicating roles.
  • Ensure the concept pathway is grounded in buildability and real-world delivery constraints.

FEASIBILITY ALIGNMENT

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

SITE + CONSTRAINTS STRATEGY

  • Ensure the planning pathway is commercially consistent with feasibility outcomes (no approval strategy that destroys viability).
  • Align proposed yields, built form assumptions and staging with feasibility drivers (time, cost, GRV/income, contingency).
  • Run a “feasibility impact check” whenever planning/design moves materially (so decisions are value-secure, not aesthetic-led).
  • Define decision gates tied to feasibility thresholds (e.g., “if yield drops below X or program extends beyond Y, restructure pathway”).
  • Keep the HBU narrative defensible against how sophisticated buyers/capital will assess the deal.

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

  • Shape the planning/HBU narrative so it is bankable and investable (without overstating approvals certainty).
  • Identify the evidence counterparties typically require (planning pathway clarity, constraints logic, cost/program credibility).
  • Package a clear “what’s confirmed vs assumed” summary to reduce IC friction and avoid retrades later.
  • Align planning milestones to funding and transaction critical paths (so timing risk is visible and managed).
  • Ensure the pathway supports the intended exit (sale, JV, staged option, delivery) and the likely counterparty universe.

STAKEHOLDER & RISK GOVERNANCE

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

CAPITAL/COUNTERPARTY READINESS

  • Map stakeholder landscape and engagement strategy at a governance level (who matters, what they care about, when engagement is required).
  • Create a practical risk register: key planning risks, probability, impact, mitigants, owner, timing.
  • Establish decision cadence and escalation pathways to prevent drift and loss of momentum.
  • Ensure sensitive owner/board contexts (rezoned families, syndicates, NFP) are managed with discretion and accountability.
  • Keep the process controlled so that value is protected through disciplined decision-making.

WHO THIS IS FOR

  • Rezoned landowners seeking the best-value pathway in NSW
  • Developers and syndicates validating whether a planning pathway is credible and fundable
  • Anyone facing uncertainty on “what’s actually achievable” vs “what’s being marketed”

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

An HBU study defines the most valuable, legally permissible and practically deliverable use of a site, considering planning controls, constraints, market realities and risk.


Propertywise does not replace your town planner. We provide commercial governance and oversight so planning decisions remain aligned to feasibility, time, counterparty requirements and value outcomes.


Because rezoning attracts offers and structures quickly, often before owners understand the real option set or the risks being priced into those offers. Governance ensures decisions are evidence-led and value-secure. Without governance, owners can accept terms that quietly transfer control or value. 


By preventing open-ended redesign cycles, keeping consultant scopes aligned to the value thesis, maintaining decision gates, and linking planning/design moves to cost/time/value impacts.


Yes. We frame the option set with time/risk/complexity trade-offs and identify what must be proven to maximise value and reduce counterparty discounting.


HBU is a defensible, deliverable pathway. Brochure yields may rely on optimistic assumptions, limited constraint analysis or untested design efficiency. We focus on a credible yield band and pathway.


 Yes. We coordinate scope, sequencing and decision cadence so technical work translates into commercial decisions, not drift.


 We apply feasibility alignment checks and counterparty readiness thinking (what capital and sophisticated buyers will require), so the pathway remains fundable and investable.


 Early, before committing to a pathway, accepting an offer, signing a JV/option proposal, or spending heavily on design without decision gates.


 Planning advice explains controls; Propertywise ensures the pathway is commercially coherent and decision-led, integrating feasibility, timing, governance and counterparty requirements.


 Yes, by mapping pathways and showing what is likely to drive value vs delay.


We identify key risk areas and define the minimum verification work required to confirm them.


 We provide governance and engagement strategy oversight where stakeholder risk is material.


 A credible HBU improves buyer confidence, compresses IC cycles, and reduces retrades.


 Where relevant, yes. Staging can materially change risk, program and counterparty appetite.


 Yes, at a governance and commercial strategy level (terms/structure/process), alongside legal and technical inputs.


HBU/pathway memo, decision gates, issues register framework, and a clear next steps plan


Yes, triage is often the fastest way to clarify which pathway is worth pursuing.


CONTACT US

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