The NSW Government has made local planning panels mandatory for all Councils in the Greater Sydney region and Wollongong City Council. From 1 March 2018 these Panels will be now known as Local Planning Panels (LPP). The Panels have been put in place so that the process of assessment and determination of development applications is transparent and accountable.
The Local Planning Panel will continue to meet once a month, or more often if required, and consider planning proposals and/or development applications where the applicant or owner is the Council or a member of staff, or contentious applications as outlined in the Charter and Guidelines.
Council continues to monitor Australian Government and NSW Health Orders relating to COVID-19 to ensure that our WHS obligations are met for staff and Panel members while also minimising risk to our community.
Consistent with the requirements of Clause 294 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000, the functioning of Georges River Local Planning Panel meetings will be held without members of the public in attendance, only the required Panel members and staff will be present and spaced to meet social distancing requirements. These requirements will remain in place as per the Regulation until March 2022.
To undertake its determination and review function of Development Applications and consideration/recommendations of Planning Proposals, Georges River Council has appointed two Local Panning Panels. A Determination Panel and a Review Panel, each comprising of four members being as:
- The Chair – with expertise in law,
- Two professionals with expertise in urban design, urban planning or other related field, and
- One community representative selected from a pool of five (being one from each Ward within the Georges River Local Government Area).
Council has selected LPP members from a pool managed by the Department of Planning and Environment. They are required to be an expert in one or more of the following areas: planning, architecture, heritage, the environment, urban design, economics, traffic and transport, law, engineering, tourism or government and public administration. The Chair (selected by the Minister) is required to have expertise in law or government and public administration. The community member is to be selected by Council and is to represent the geographical area within the LGA of the proposed development. Councillors and mayors will not be permitted to be on the panels in their local government area.
Georges River Local Planning Panel Members are as follows:
Chairs / Alternate Chairs (A)
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Expert Panel Members
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Community Members
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| Sue Francis |
Juliet Grant |
Cameron Jones |
| Stephen Alchin (A) |
Michael Leavey |
Erin Sellers |
| Stephen Davies (A) |
John Brockhoff |
George Vardas |
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Milan Marecic |
Fiona Prodromou |
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Ian Armstrong |
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Judy Clark |
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Deborah Laidlaw |
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Annette Ruhotas |
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Awais Piracha |
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Marcus Sainsbury |
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Nicholas Skelton |
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Anthony Hudson |
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Julie Walsh |
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Paul Vergotis |
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For further information on the legislation and LPPs is outlined on the Department of Planning and Environment’s website which contains other useful fact sheets and FAQs.
Meeting Schedule
All meetings commence at 4.00pm and during the COVID-19 period consistent with directions for non-essential gatherings and meetings, the functioning of Georges River Local Planning Panel meetings will be held without members of the public in attendance, only the required Panel members and staff will be present and spaced to meet social distancing requirements.
| 4 November 2021 |
Georges River Civic Centre |
| 18 November 2021 |
Georges River Civic Centre |
| 9 December 2021 |
Georges River Civic Centre |
LPP Meeting dates and times are at the discretion of the Chairs of the LPP in addition to the operation requirements of Council.
Once an assessment has been completed, Council aims to have applications required to be considered by the LPP reported to the next meeting.
Reporting of applications to the LPP by Council are not influenced by the individual circumstances of applicants, objectors nor school holidays.
The Process
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Prior to each LPP meeting, the Panel members will undertake site inspections, during COVID-19 these will be undertaken individually by each Panel member. No site inspections of unrelated properties will be undertaken during COVID–19.
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The meeting is run in accordance with the order of items on the agenda as published on Council’s website.
- The Applicant, Submitters and interested members of the public are unable to attend the meeting during COVID-19, however the meetings will remain live streamed. If an individual wishes to make representations to the Panel the form referenced below will need to be completed and returned to Council with a summary of matters to be presented to the Panel which is to be no longer than 2 pages in length 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting date. This information will be collated and forwarded to the Panel to review.
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In your submission we ask you include your phone contact details so we can contact to arrange for you to join the meeting via Skype For Business. Registering you in the system to join the meeting needs to be undertaken prior to the meeting commencing.
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Once all the representations have been made to the Panel for each item, the public meeting will be closed and the Panel members will deliberate in a closed session which will not be recorded or live streamed.
- The Panel will make a decision on the day of the scheduled meeting and the decisions will be published on the Council website the following business day.
Addressing the Panel
If you would like to make representation to the LPP, you will need to complete the Application to Make Representation to the LPP Form by the close of business 48 hours prior to the scheduled meeting date.
Local Planning Panel Meeting Broadcast
Local Planning Panel Meetings will be broadcast live, all written representations received will be read during the public meeting and can be viewed on any internet connected device. Local Planning Panel Meetings commence at 4.00pm.
Live Broadcast
Meeting Webcast Archive
Agendas and Reports
The agenda will be available seven business days before the scheduled meeting. The minutes will be published the following business day.
Search all agendas and minutes.
Electronic Agendas
Process
In some instances the LPP Chair may determine that it is unnecessary to hold a meeting in public to consider a particular application and determine the matter electronically. Circumstances where a public meeting may not be required includes;
- Where the assessment report recommends approval and there are no submission by way of objection, or
- Where the IHAP/LPP has considered the matter at a public meeting and deferred its decision to request specific additional information from an applicant or Council (such as amended drawings). In this case, an electronic meeting should only occur if Council, after having accepted the amended drawings, has decided that re-exhibition of the amended drawings is not required).
Search all Electronic Agendas.
Search all Electronic Agendas.
Conflict, Pecuniary and Disclosure of Interest
Disclosure Forms Per Matter for Consideration
As required by the LPP Code of Conduct (August 2018) panel members are required to disclose known conflict or pecuniary interests associated with the matters they are to consider at any panel meeting.
From 3 September 2018 prior to the meeting being conducted, panel members will complete relevant forms as prescribed by the NSW Department of Planning.
These forms will then be tabled at the LPP meeting for Council to include in the online minutes of the meeting.
Written Disclosure of Interest Forms
As required by the LPP Code of Conduct (August 2018) panel members are required to complete a disclose of interests on the relevant forms as prescribed by the NSW Department of Planning when becoming a panel member at 30 June each years.
These forms are required to be tabled at a planning panel meeting by the Chairperson and subsequently provided to Council to upload on its website with the exclusion of the panel members residential address.
The relevant forms are provided here under:
Written Meeting Disclosure
Audio Recordings
In accordance with the Clause 25(3) of Schedule 2 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, the LPP public meeting is recorded from 7 May 2018 onwards. Please find the recordings below.
Audio Webcast Archive
Ministerial Directions and Delegations
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