Subdividing Land
Subdividing land means dividing the parcel of land for sale, conveyance, transfer, lease, sublease, mortgage, agreement, partition or other dealing or by procuring the issue of a certificate of title under the Land Transfer Act. It includes:
- creating lots from subdividing another lot.
- merging two or more lots into one lot (amalgamation).
- rearranging the boundaries of a lot without creating a new lot.
- creating a community title scheme.
- creating an easement to give access to a lot from a road
Sub-Division Process
- Lodge a subdivision scheme application with the Department of Town & Country Planning Suva Office. However, if the proposal is more than five (5) acres the application will need to be lodged at the relevant Municipal Council, which are then forwarded to the Department of Town and Country Planning for consent.
a. Subdivisions within the Suva City and Lautoka City Boundaries are lodged directly with the respective Councils in accordance with the by-laws under the Local Government Act.
2. Undertake the subdivision and required works in compliance with the conditions of the approval
3. Submit a survey plan with the Department of Lands with the Completion Certificate from the Municipal Council and other stakeholders outlined in the approval.
4. Register your survey plan with the Register of Titles office.
Application Requirements
When lodging an application with the Department of Town & Country Planning, or the Municipal Council, you must provide the following documents:
a. 7 Copies of Subdivision Form
b. 7 Copies Town Planning Application for Development Forms
c. Proof of Ownership
-
- Freehold
- Clear copy of the Certificate of Title
- Native Land
- Land Development Vetting Committee Comments
- Survey Instruction
- Agreement for Lease
- State Land
- Letter of Consent from the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources
- Copy of the Approval Notice/Lease
d. 7 Copies of Scheme Plan (in accordance with Subdivision of Land Regulations).
e. Covering Letter stating the purpose of the subdivision.
f. Other relevant documents e.g. Sale and Purchase Agreement, Will and Probate, Restrictive Covenants, Consent from Sugar Industry Tribunal (for cane land).
- Freehold
Application Fees
You must pay a development application fee when you lodge your application.
There are also fees for survey plans, which are incurred after receiving a planning approval.
Lodging an Application
You will need to engage a surveyor to design your subdivision so it complies with the relevant assessment criteria.
You may also choose to have a pre-consultation meeting with the Department of Town and Country Planning to help you prepare your planning application. This is not mandatory but will save you time and make the process easier.
Application Timeline
The processing time line for building applications is 30 working days. During the assessment period, the Department liaises with the surveyors for further information and amendments if necessary.
Expired Approvals
Scheme approvals given by the Department of Town & Country Planning have a validity of two (2) years. If your scheme approval has expired, your can request for the scheme to be renewed with a renewal fee.
Application to renew scheme approvals are lodged with the Department of Town & Country Planning Suva Office.
Scheme Amendments
If you wish to make changes to a subdivision scheme which has already been approved, you can lodge an amended scheme with the Department of Town & Country Planning for approval.
When lodging an amended scheme application, you must include:
- Five (5) copies of the amended scheme
- A covering letter outlining the details of the amendment
- A copy of the initial scheme approval
You may incur additional fees if you are increasing the number of lots in your amended scheme plan.