The Real Property Act 1900 clearly envisages accurate survey plans as the basis for reliable title to land. Section 195F (1) and (2) Conveyancing Act 1919 sets out the Registrar General's duty to ensure the correctness of parcel boundaries.
The Registrar General is authorised to require lodgment of a plan of survey at any time. All new subdivision lines must be established by survey. Any exemption to this may be granted by NSW LRS as a special concession.
A written request to dispense with a survey should be directed to the NSW LRS Plan and Title Advisor. It should contain the identity of the current parcel(s), a sketch plan depicting the proposal and, if available, copies of all relevant plans.
Please click the following link for the Compiled Plan and Partial Survey Approval Request Form.
Where written approval for an exemption is given by the Plan and Title Advisor the surveyor should record the approval file number below the Surveyor’s Reference.
Most compiled Deposited Plans are currently prepared and lodged online by a Registered Surveyor. As part of the digital survey plans reform, NSW is transitioning to 100% online lodgment of plans. Once this has transition has been completed (currently proposed for September 2023), only Registered Surveyors will be able to prepare compiled Deposited Plans.
NOTE: Certain pre-existing exemptions (for example Crown Road Enclosure plans and Legal Road Network plans) will remain in place.
Compiled easement plans define by compilation, from plans on public record, the site(s) of new easements.
Compiled subdivision plans will be acceptable provided new subdivisional boundaries are adopted from previously surveyed boundaries.
Compiled consolidation plans that consolidate two or more parcels into one new parcel may be compiled provided specified criteria is adhered to.
Partial survey plans will be accepted where the cost of a full survey is prohibitive and the integrity of the cadastre as to the remaining parcel boundary definition can be maintained by compilation from plans on public record.
Areas of compiled residue lots after survey will either be calculated from information shown on the plan or deducted from the area shown on the base plan.