New Independent Planning Panels for Greater Sydney 

District Commissioners with a strategic vision for their localised areas will head up new Planning Panels, streamlining the process for regional decision-making across Greater Sydney.

The independent panels will start operating on 21 November 2016 and will replace the existing Sydney East Joint Regional Planning Panel and the Sydney West Joint Regional Planning Panel.

The new Planning Panels will take on responsibility for a number of key planning approval activities including: adjudication on major planning approvals, decisions about pre-gateway reviews, and regionally significant development applications valued at $20 million or more.

Importantly, the Sydney Planning Panels will have new, reduced, timeframes for their approval activities with a headline goal to reduce pre-gateway (or rezoning) review timeframes to less than 90 days for 85 per cent of requests.

Each panel will be headed up by a Greater Sydney Commission District Commissioner in the role of Chair. State-appointed representatives and council appointed representatives will also sit on the new planning panels, and have input on the decision-making process.

A question and answer factsheet regarding the activation of, and transition of responsibilities to the Sydney Planning Panels is available on the Greater Sydney Commission website: http://www.gsc.nsw.gov.au/.