We have been in business in the Ipswich region for nearly 80 years.

First owned by Ken Baird, followed by Keith Hayes.

The Henry Family have owned Baird & Hayes now for 20 years.

Peter Henry (Director | Surveyor) has worked here for well over 3 decades.

Liam Henry (Director | Town Planner) has worked here since he was young, but has recently taken up part ownership to move the company into the next era of Surveying and Town Planning.

Baird & Hayes will help Subdivide your land by following 3 distinct steps:

Step 1: Our Surveyors and Town Planners help you prepare and lodge an application to Council to gain the permission you need to subdivide.

Step 2: Your Local Council assesses your application and issues a Decision Notice that lists the Conditions that apply to finalise your Subdivision. Once Baird & Hayes have helped you meet the required Conditions, Council will approve and sign the Surveyor’s Subdivision Plan and Step 2 is complete.

Step 3: When Council has signed the Subdivision Plan it is ready to be processed by the State Titles Registry Office.

Not all Titles can be subdivided. However, Baird & Hayes will carry out an investigation that allows us to provide accurate and effective advice to help you decide whether Council is likely to approve a formal Subdivision Application (see Q1 above).

Yes – that’s the short answer! The long answer is…the word “Unit” may apply to a Residential Unit, a Commercial Unit or an Industrial Unit. Any of these “Units” that have been built recently are likely to comply with Council’s planning requirements and the Building Code of Australia, whereas, Older Residential Units may not comply with modern building code requirements – especially with respect to fire rating. It is prudent to check compliance if it is intended to divide existing multiple flats into separate Titles for each Unit. To retrofit some building code upgrades can be a very expensive operation. Baird & Hayes are confident that we can assist you with investigating the potential for achieving a separate Title for any of the Units listed above.

Every Local Council charges an application fee that varies depending on the type of application. For example, Ipswich City Council fees for a One into Two Subdivision application in 2024/25 are $3,140.00, whereas the Council fee for a new commercial use is minimum $4,800. These are the Council fees only and the preparation of the application itself depends on the size of the development and the required sub-consultant reports (engineers, etc.). For our Fees and Services please click here.

There are various costs involved in Subdivision or a Material Change of Use (MCU) of land and it is customary to break the cost into two separate components;

1. Council and other Statutory Authorities for Infrastructure Charges. These Infrastructure Charges vary depending on the particular Local Authority in which the Development is meant to be carried out. Infrastructure Charges may be applied to a Development for items including roads, parks and open space, community facilities, sewer, water supply, stormwater infrastructure, footpaths and kerb and channel. Should all these Infrastructure Charges apply it is not unusual to pay Council and other statutory authorities tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the job.
2. The other component of costs for Development relate to physical construction of all the items that make up the project, e.g., roads and driveways, sewer and stormwater, electricity and telecommunications connections, etc. Baird & Hayes consult with all the relevant professionals involved in providing the information and designs for your Subdivision or MCU, such as, Planners, Surveyors, Architects and Engineers.

The fees can vary…This is because the word Survey refers to a category of different services we provide, including but not limited to; Mapping Survey, Boundary Survey, Setout Survey for construction, Flood Survey, Certification Survey, Lease Survey for commercial or industrial premises, Identification Survey (remark a Title or part thereof) and As Constructed Survey (for completed pipes, roads and other infrastructure items). The cost will vary depending on each individual project. Baird & Hayes are happy to provide a quotation for any of the above surveys once we have a chance to review the scope of the project. For our Fees and Services please click here.

The cost of remarking an existing Title on the ground (known as an Identification Survey) varies upon the age of the Title, location, whether or not there are recent surveys in the area and the size of the parcel; whereas, the cost of marking out one boundary for a typical suburban allotment is somewhat cheaper than marking the whole of Title. 80% of urban jobs can cost between $2,500 and $3,500. For our Fees and Services please click here.

Boundary fences may or may not be on the true Title boundary and if a fence is to be replaced then it is recommended to have a Registered Surveyor mark out the Title boundary. This is called an Identification Survey. For our Fees and Services please click here.

Different Local Authorities and the State Government agencies have records of known flood levels for different areas in the State. Baird & Hayes are able to search the records of these agencies for you to obtain the official flood level. To provide you with a visual reference, we would generally follow this up with a site visit to your property and mark out the height of the notified flood level. For our Fees and Services please click here.

Prior to designing a building, your Draftsman will typically require a Base Survey Plan on which they place their design. This base plan may include Surveyors Information such as; surface levels, location of services (e.g. electricity, water supply, sewer and roof water), existing structures, trees, landscaping, fences, roads, kerbs, channels, footpaths and other items that may have an impact on how the building is to be designed. This Base survey is also called a Contour and Detail Survey, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) or simply a site measure up. Baird & Hayes will supply you with a quotation for a specific Contour and Detail Survey depending on the requirements of the Draftsman, Architect or client. For our Fees and Services please click here.