Central Coast Council to establish Local Planning Panel to determine DAs
Central Coast Council is set to take a back seat when it comes to determining development applications with any real substance or community interest.
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It wouldn’t be a normal Central Coast Council meeting without a contentious development application up for debate.
Residents pile in and have their say, along with the developer, while councillors go back and forth in the decision making process.
However those days are almost over, with the council taking the next step in the State Government’s push to establish the Central Coast Local Planning Panel, which will determine a wide range of DAs.
However, despite some councillors voicing objections to the panel last year, the council must now vote in favour of establishing the panel at Monday night’s meeting in Wyong.
Failure to do so will result in NSW Planning going over council’s head and appointing the panel.
In February, the State Government directed council to set up the planning panel to determine DAs that are contentious, with 10 or more “unique” submissions, have a conflict of interest or fall outside local development guidelines by more than 10 per cent.
The panel will also determine proposals for sensitive developments such as heritage items, licenced premises and apartments with four or more storeys.
The council is also required to pick up the tab for the panel, estimated at $400,000 per year.
When the idea of the planning panel was floated in 2018, former mayor – now deputy mayor – Jane Smith was adamant that the council should remain the consent authority on DAs.
“There is no need for independent planning panels to determine development applications as decisions of council are open and transparent and councils are elected to make decisions in the best interests of the community,” she said.
“Our community must and should have a say in development that will affect their local area.”
Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes said with Central Coast Council managing a large and growing population, it made perfect sense.
“Independent reviews of existing panels in NSW have demonstrated they are performing very well to deliver better planning outcomes which is why we’ve established a LPP for the Central Coast,” he said.
“The panel will free up councillors to focus on the long-term strategic planning to lead the delivery of the region’s goals and priorities across its large jurisdiction.”