Independent experts will be imposed on four councils to fix DA wait times

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully warned six councils to speed up DA assessment times. Four did not improve enough. Now they’ll be forced end the go-slows.

Four councils have been put on notice by the Planning Minister after failing to improve their development processes. Picture: AAP

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Four of the state’s most sluggish councils will be forced to fix how they assess development applications, after failing to convince Planning Minister Paul Scully that they were doing enough to pick up their game.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that Mr Scully will impose independent experts on Georges River, Wingecarribee, Willoughby, and Sutherland councils, in order to force councils to speed up their DA assessment times.

Expert planners will be installed at Georges River, Wingecarribee, and Willoughby, while Sutherland council will get an expert engineer.

Imposing the independent “experts” is the first step in the state government stripping planning powers from underperforming councils.

In March, Mr Scully gave six councils three months to develop an “action plan” showing how they would speed up DA assessments.

In scathing letters sent last week, Mr Scully told Georges River mayor Elise Borg and Wingecarribee mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick that the action plans they submitted “lacked sufficient detail” on how the plans would drive down assessment times.

Planning Minister Paul Scully will impose independent experts on four councils. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Mr Scully told Willoughby mayor Tanya Taylor that her council had improved, but not by enough.

The department has told the majority of councils that they are expected to decide DAs within 115 days.

Georges River Mayor Elise Borg was told her council’s improvement plans were not good enough. Picture: Supplied

Between last July and April 30, Georges River took an average of 239 days to assess 121 residential development applications. Only five met the 115-day deadline.

Wingecarribee took an average of 215 days to assess 200 residential DAs, and less than a third were assessed within the expected time frame.

In Willoughby, council spent 198 days on average assessing 136 residential DAs.

The expert engineer imposed on Sutherland will help that council “process improvements and efficiency measures” to speed up its assessments.

Sutherland took on average 189 days to assess 344 residential DAs so far this financial year.

North Sydney and Queanbeyan-Palerang were also issued with a directive to improve their performance in March.

Willoughby Mayor Tanya Taylor also received a letter saying her council would have an “expert planner” imposed.

Both councils have since done enough to be spared any further state government intervention.

The expert planners will prepare a report showing what can be improved at each council.

The councils will have three months to prove they are reducing the time taken to assess DAs.

Mr Scully said that any council which fails to perform the job of assessing development applications will be in his sights.

Mr Scully has been warning councils that they will lose planning powers if they do not improve. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

“We need councils to be performing, it’s as simple as that, and if they’re not, the Minns Government will step in,” Mr Scully said.

“All levels of Government signed up to the National Housing Accord, and every level of government needs to be doing all it can and more to achieve that goal.”

In a statement, a Willoughby council spokesman said the council had made “significant” investments in improving DA assessment times. He said the council will “work collaboratively” with the expert planner when appointed.

Wingecarribee Mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick said his council’s performance was improving “significantly” since the local government elections.

“We ask for the Minister to support us in this journey,” he said.

Other councils did not respond by deadline.

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Originally published as Independent experts will be imposed on four councils to fix DA wait times