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1. Requisitions
The requisition procedure is used in cases of unacceptable mistakes and omissions concerning survey Plans and surveys.
Plans are stopped when significant survey problems occur or when surveys fail to comply with regulations or when Plan amendments are required. A requisition is raised informing the surveyor of the problems, the options for resolution and the associated fee. No further action on the Plan will be taken until the problems are resolved and the fee paid.
Surveyors are to arrange with the requisition examiner the most appropriate methods for effecting amendments to the plan.
Since September 1995 all requisitions have been graded as to severity and are recorded (indexed by surveyor) in a requisition database. While level 1 and 2 requisitions (i.e. those without a fee) pose negligible threat to a surveyor’s ‘Eligibility to Lodge’ status, a number of level 3 requisitions (with a fee charged) in a short period could accumulate to threaten that status. Two level 4 requisitions would be an immediate threat.
A history of continual level 3 requisitions will be taken into consideration in deciding the form of more severe disciplinary action in the event of a later severe breach by a surveyor.
The Land Surveyors’ Licensing Board website contains detailed information on breaches and their related severity. The information can be found at http://www.lslb.wa.gov.au/for-licensed-surveyors/requisition-severity-levels. The tabs along the bottom of the excel spreadsheet allow access to the various worksheets in the file.
Plan examination is to proceed in accordance with Landgate’s standard checklist.
Breaches will accumulate as assessed from Standardised requisition criteria at http://www.lslb.wa.gov.au/for-licensed-surveyors/requisition-severity-levels.
Accumulation to level 3 severity or above will incur a requisition fee. Accumulation to level 2 severity or below will not incur a requisition fee.
All required amendments to the plan due to breaches are to be carried out by the surveyor and the amended plan (with a version increment) to be submitted via NLR using the “Amend plan” function.
The statement “Plan examination requirements” is to be inserted into the amendments table.
Amended plans do not incur a fee.
The processing of survey sheets by the Spatial Data team is considered a plan examination task, and the requisition procedures stated above apply.
The following procedure applies upon the request from a surveyor to replace a CAD Plan (PDF) that was lodged that day or the previous day:
Plan PDF not signed – if this is the only thing missing from the plan, the surveyor can re-submit the plan as an Amended plan (with a version increment). This does not incur a replacement plan fee. Please contact Landgate at plans.consultants@landgate.wa.gov.au before submitting the amended plan.
Material changes to the subject of the plan (e.g. changes to dimensions) - must be lodged as a Replacement plan (with a version increment), using the “Replace plan” function in NLR. A replacement plan fee applies.
For any other surveyor-initiated changes to the plan which could be argued as not being material, the surveyor has a choice: (a) Treat as a Replacement plan and incur a replacement plan fee, or (b) Wait for manual examination of the plan; in which case the standard examination procedure will apply.
Note that the above procedure only applies when a surveyor requests to amend or replace a plan before it reaches a plan examiner. Standard examination procedures, fees and charges are to apply after the examination process has started.
1.1. Drafting Checklist
Title Block
- Plan Type shown
- Plan Purpose shown
- Heading
- SSA Y/N
- Land District shown
- Townsite shown (where applicable)
- File number # (where applicable)
- Local Government shown
- Locality shown
- Former Tenure/CT correct
- Former Tenure Table required (and correct)
- Survey Index Plan correct
- FB number correct
- Scale/scale bar
- Surveyor's Certificate correct and signed/countersigned
- Survey firm detail shown
- WAPC number shown
Drafting Area
- Orientation shown
- Compiled from notation
- Plan notations (e.g. Reg 26A surveys)
- Lot numbers shown
- No duplication of lot numbers
- Vinculums joining like tenures required
- Abutting reserve numbers shown
- Vesting order correct
- Depth limit
- Original Crown allotment boundaries shown (where applicable)
- Crown allotment numbers shown (where applicable)
- Lot areas shown and correct
- Abuttals correct and up to date
- Administrative boundaries
- Road names approved and show extent of roads
- Road secants shown
- Area road ex UCL
- Old marks labelled
- New marks identified
- Non-standard marking identified
- Line styles
- Amendments schedule included
Dimensions
- Plan measurements same as FB measurements
- Surround dimensions and areas checked
- Lot total distances
- Subject land total distances
- Bearings and source shown where necessary
- Latest original values used
- Double check dimensions on enlargements
- CSD files agree with plan dimensions and area
- Closes are within limits
Interests Shown on Plan
- Schedule of Interests and Notifications shown and correct
- Existing interests shown and can be defined from plan
- New interests shown and can be defined from plan
- Existing covenants can be defined from plan
- New covenants can be defined from plan
- Mineral reservations shown
- Notifications shown
- New easements and covenants consistent with documents
- Noted on 'Surveyors Report' interests not brought forward
Survey Sheets for Special Survey Areas
(See plan examples 26, 27 & 50)
- Deposited plan number
- Sheets numbers shown
- All PSM and PCM numbered correctly (using EB or eFB numbers)
- Connections to cadastral alignments shown for each PSM and PCM
- Sheets headings shown
- Dimensions complete and correct
- Non-standard marks shown
- WAPC approval box struck out
- All sheets signed by surveyor
- Digital data for final control network - email
Other Matters
- Green borders consistent with each other (plan series issue)
- Abuttals match approval sequence (plan series issue)
- Road access match approval sequence (plan series issue)
- 'Surveyor's Report' to amendments to strata/survey-strata scheme
2. Inspections1
The survey examination function of the Inspecting Surveyors includes:
- checking the field records lodged by surveyors.
- examining the definition and marking of the boundaries on a sample of surveys.
- assisting surveyors to maintain and improve the standard of cadastral surveys.
2.1. Office Inspections
Most field records lodged at Landgate are visually inspected as to the following items:
Surveyor’s Certificate
Check that it is signed and dated, that any deletions are correct and the date of survey, in case a 2-year certificate is required.
Index page
Check that adequate information is provided (especially for SSA subdivisions) and that there is only one index page which includes all the surveys in the field record.
Legibility
Check that all information is legible and suitable for reproduction.
Re-establishment
Check that sufficient marks have been found and that the correct method has been used (sparse pickup and/or poor method are common triggers for field inspection).
Presentation
Check the recording of:
- Measurements
- reductions to true line/boundaries
- comparisons with original
- descriptions of marks found
- other general matters.
Check SSA requirements including connections from control to new boundaries.
Check method and presentation of surveys by GNSS.
Doubts caused by omissions or anomalies will usually trigger a field inspection.
Referencing
Check that quantity and type is in accordance with the regulations and guidelines. Check that the pickup is adequately protected..
Geodetics Connections
Check that connections have been carried out in accordance with the guidelines under General Regulation 22A or guidelines for Special Survey Areas.
2.2. Field Inspections
Field inspections enable the field record to be compared with the actual field environment.
Inspection of the marking determines:
- Whether the regulations and guidelines have been adhered to
- Whether all exceptions to the regulations have been recorded
- The overall standard of the marking for the public including clarity of lot numbering on pegs/posts and witnessing of the marks.
Field measurements enable two standards of accuracy to be determined:
- Accuracy of re-establishment, or how well the survey fits in to the existing cadastre
- Plan accuracy, or how well the marks fit with the dimensions on the Plan of survey.
Both of these measures include a component of comparison between the measuring devices of the surveyor and of the inspector. Subdivisions within Special Survey Areas are a special case where the accuracy of the survey is compared with the accuracy specifications in the guidelines by means of a coordinate check.
Standards of quality are expressed as:
- HIGH (or ACCURATE)
- REASONABLE
- SATISFACTORY
- ACCEPTABLE
- UNACCEPTABLE (or POOR)
2.3. Survey Examinations
Inspecting Surveyors are frequently required to carry out an office examination (either full or partial) of a survey. This involves determining whether the surveyor has achieved a correct definition of the boundaries of the land the subject of the plan of survey.
Field Record Checklist
- Sign and date Surveyor's Certificate
- Subdivision or survey heading
- Parent plan
- Subject plan
- Index plan/Keysheet/CPD Plan
- Certificate of Title
- WAPC reference number
- Other field records for plan
- Field records used
- Special conditions/guidelines
- Measuring equipment and calibration
- Condition of old marks
- Depths of reference marks
- Trenches
- Topographic notes
- Pages with field notes initialled and dated (date of survey)
- Sufficient proof of old alignments
- Old surveys renovated
- Additional reference marks where necessary
- Geodetic connections shown. If no, reason for no connection provided
- Offsets/traverses reduced to true lines/boundaries
- Comparisons with original distances
- Comparisons with original angles
- Misclosures
- Areas
- Lot numbers
- Non-standard corner marks described
- Alternative reference marks described
- Intermediates put in where necessary
- Alternative intermediates described
- Boundaries cleared, or exceptions noted
- Improvements/encroachments
Special Survey Areas - Initial Control Field Books
- WAPC reference number
- Re-establishment survey including adopted surround
- Geodetic connections shown
- Graphic summary of control network, including observations and adjusted/adopted values
- Connections between control network and re-establishment survey (adapted positions)
- Optional digital data for control network
(eFB)
Special Survey Areas - Final Control eField book (eFB)
- Field record number pre-allocated by Landgate
- PSMs and PCMs on Survey sheets numbered using eFB number
- eFB (CSD file) created and correctly named
- eFB lodged via NLR-Plan Surveyor Portal to Landgate
1Section updated 11/01/2022