Rodney Stevens
Clarence Valley Council will write to the Minister for Planning and the Chair of the Northern Regional Planning Panel requesting the panel extend its submission period to allow council time to express its view on development applications being decided by the panel.
The Northern Regional Planning Panel NRPP, which is comprised of three government representatives and two councillors, is responsible for determining Development Applications DA’s with a capital investment greater than $30 million, or development proposed by the council with an estimated cost of greater than $5 million.
Councils meeting agenda stated due to the scheduling of Council’s Ordinary Meetings, the Regional Planning Panel Operational Procedures and the Northern Regional Planning Panel determination calendar, council staff cannot brief Council with an assessment report on significant projects referred by Council to the NRPP for determination.
As the NRPP requires an Assessment Report be provided by Council staff no more than 14 days prior to the NRPP determination date, the timing of the NRPP determination meetings is greater than 14 days after an ordinary council meeting which does not allow the staff DA Assessment Report to be tabled at a council meeting before it is submitted to the NRPP for determination.
This removes the opportunity for Council to make a submission or recommendation on a DA to the NRPP prior to determination.
At the June 27 Clarence Valley Council meeting, Cr Steve Pickering put forward a motion seeking for this policy to be revised to allow council the opportunity to make a submission or recommendation on a DA to the NRPP prior to determination, which was seconded by Cr Debrah Novak.
“This has been a bug bear of mine probably since day one as a councillor when I realised that some planning decisions were taken out of council’s hands and given to this group of people in the Northern Regional Planning Panel,” Cr Pickering said.
“Due to the way the planning panel works, council needs to make a submission to the planning panel not more than 14 days before the planning panel make a determination.
“Because of the timing of the planning panel meetings for the determination and because of the timing of the council meetings it’s virtually impossible for the planning panel to receive their paperwork from council, the assessment report, and for the assessment report to come to council in the correct time period to allow council to agree or disagree with the officer’s recommendation.
“Council should still be able to represent our community and we should still have the right to put forward a view as council representing our community, an opportunity to voice our concerns and our opinions to the planning panel when an application is being determined.”
The following motion was endorsed unanimously by councillors.
- Write to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, The Hon. Paul Scully MP and the Chair of the Northern Regional Planning Panel, Diane Leeson, requesting a review of the Northern Regional Planning Panel Operational Procedures to accommodate an extended submission period to allow Clarence Valley Council time to express a view on Development Applications being decided by the Northern Regional Planning Panel.
- Advise council of the outcome of the request.