Local Planning Panel

On 13 February 2018, Council resolved to establish an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel (IHAP), now known as the Local Planning Panel.

The panel is comprised of highly qualified people independent of Council and are charged with determining a range of development applications, reviewing and making recommendations about planning proposals on behalf of Council.

• Elected Councillors no longer decide the outcome of individual development applications and are instead referred to the Local Planning Panel for consideration and determination.
• Council officers still assess the planning proposal and then report to the Local Planning Panel.
• The panel reviews the planning proposal and the officer’s assessment and makes a recommendation to the Council.
• The Local Planning Panel inspects a site prior to determination of the application and provides a transparent forum for applicants and objectors to make verbal submissions.
• Determinations are made as independent assessments consistent with Council’s Local Environment Plan, Development Control Plan and other relevant planning instruments.

Authority

A local planning panel is formed under the authority of the Local Government Act and is a requirement of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The functions of the panel are to:

• provide an independent and open forum for interested persons and groups to hear and make submissions about development proposals referred for determination
• provide increased transparency of process and expert assessment of development proposals referred
• consider and determine development applications and s96 modifications.

Campbelltown Local Planning Panel Members

Operation Guidelines

The following Operational Guideline(147KB, PDF) was adopted by the Local Planning Panel at its meeting on 28 July 2021.

The Guideline should be read in conjunction with the existing Code of Conduct and Operation Procedures published by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. 

For more information, please contact the Planning Panels Secretariat on 02 8217 2060.

Meetings

Local Planning Panel meetings include 4 members - a chairperson, community member and 2 expert members.

The meeting format usually includes:

• on-site inspection
• public panel meeting, with an open forum for interested persons and groups to hear and make submissions about the development proposal
• closed panel session for the panel to deliberate
• public announcement of the determination.

The decision of the panel would be by a majority of votes with each member casting one vote. In the event of a tied vote, the Chairperson would have a casting vote. The determination includes a written response from the panel similar to a court judgment outlining the reasons for the decision.

All Local Planning Panel meetings are open to members of the public.

Meeting schedule

Local Council Planning Meetings are generally held on the last Wednesday of each month from 3pm, and being livestreamed in response to the ongoing COVID-19 situation until further notice.

 2022 dates

• 23 February
• 23 March
• 27 April 
• 25 May 
• 22 June
• 27 July
• 24 August
• 28 September
• 26 October (meeting not required)
• 23 November (meeting not required)
• 14 December

2023 dates

• 22 February 
• 22 March 
• 26 April
• 24 May
• 28 June
• 26 July
• 23 August
• 27 September
• 25 October
• 22 November
• 13 December 

Webcast

Meetings can be viewed live and on demand.

Agenda and meeting minutes

Agenda items and the minutes for Local Planning Panel meetings are made available online in PDF format.

• The meeting agenda will be available online one week before the meeting.
• The minutes of the meeting will usually be published by close of business on the Friday following the meeting.

Addressing the Panel

The community is able to make written submissions to the Local Planning Panel.

If you are interested in addressing the Panel for a specific item being considered on the current agenda please submit your request by midday the day prior to the meeting.

Request to address - community access to meetings

• The requirements for making a submission on a development proposal to Council remain the same.
• If the proposal cannot be determined under delegation by Council staff it will be referred to the Local Planning Panel and the person making a submission will be given an opportunity to speak to the Panel about their submission.
• Each submission, when read aloud should be no longer than five minutes. This will be strictly enforced.

Applications

The following applications are referred to the Local Planning Panels Direction:

1. Conflict of interest

Development for which the applicant or land owner is:

1. the council,
2. a councillor,
3. a member of council staff who is principally involved in the exercise of council’s functions under the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979,
4. a member of Parliament (either the Parliament of New South Wales or Parliament of the Commonwealth), or
5. a relative (within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1993) of a person referred to in (b) to (d).

but not development for the following purposes:

1. internal alterations and additions to any building that is not a heritage item,
2. advertising signage,
3. maintenance and restoration of a heritage item, or
4. minor building structures projecting from the building façade over public land (such as awnings, verandas, bay windows, flagpoles, pipes and services, and sun shading devices).

2. Contentious development

Development that:

1. in the case of a council having an approved submissions policy – is the subject of the number of submissions set by that policy, or
2. in any other case – is the subject of 10 or more unique submissions by way of objection.

An approved submissions policy is a policy prepared by the council and approved by the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment which details the circumstances in which a local planning panel or council staff should exercise the consent authority functions of the council, based on the number and nature of submissions received about development.

3. Departure from development standards

Development that contravenes a development standard imposed by an environmental planning instrument by more than 10% or non-numerical development standards.

Note: If the Secretary allows concurrence to be assumed by council staff for contravening development standards, the panel can delegate these applications to council staff to determine.

4. Sensitive development

1. Designated development.
2. Development to which State Environmental Planning Policy No 65 – Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development applies.
3. Development involving the demolition of a heritage item.
4. Development for the purposes of new licenced premises, that will require one of the following liquor licences:
   (i) a club licence under the Registered Clubs Act 1976,
   (ii) a hotel (general bar) licence under the Liquor Act 2007, or
   (iii) an on-premises licence for public entertainment venues under  the Liquor Act 2007.
5. Development for the purpose of sex services premises and restricted premises.
6. Development applications for which the developer has offered to enter into a planning agreement.

Reviews

There is the opportunity to review decisions made by the Campbelltown City Local Planning Panel. The applicant can seek a review of a determination and this will be referred to the Local Planning Panel's Review Body where panel members who did not sit on the original panel for that determination will take part.

An applicant may also appeal to the Land and Environment Court.