What the planning ‘Green Paper’ means for property
The Government’s ‘Green Paper’ into the review of WA’s planning system picks up a raft of local government reforms advocated by the Property Council. It is pleasing the Paper maintains the current Development Assessment Panel (DAP) formation and process; and it rejects the introduction of third party appeals to planning decisions.
Key local government reform proposals in the ‘Green Paper’:
- Public reporting of local government planning performance;
- standardised local planning schemes;
- firmer time-limits on approval processes;
- state direction of accumulated development levies;
- accountability for local infill housing and density targets;
- coordinated land use and transport planning; and
- more responsibility for local governments to explain local schemes to communities.
The Paper calls for the WA Planning Commission to focus more on strategic planning and policy formation; and delegate most of its statutory planning approval work, to the Department of Planning.
The Property Council is following up proposals in the Paper to change the SAT mediated development application planning approval process, which would require additional advertising of a major amendment to a DA application. The Property Council would be concerned if this resulted in significant delays in the approvals process.
The Property Council’s planning committee will lead our preparation of a submission on the Green Paper, to the Minister for Planning. Submissions to the Green Paper are due by 20 July 2018.
Please call Rachael Champtaloup at the Property Council for more information.
For more information on the Green Paper click here