Councillors are being asked to double the number of public submissions about proposed development applications before that triggers the involvement of the Local Planning Panel.
Currently one of the triggers is 10 unique submissions – and these submissions are usually concerns from residents about the proposed development.
Planners for developers complain that submissions are often not unique in that groups get together to write them and the content is the same.
Planners would like to see submissions having to reach 50 before having to go the LPP.
Deputy Mayor Doug Eaton proposes the number be doubled to 20 unique submissions.
His motion will be put to the Tuesday, November 26 meeting of council.
If adopted, the change would probably reduce the number of DAs going to the LPP.
Instead, more decisions would be made by council staff.
Cr Eaton believes this would also reduce “by a bit” the number of deemed refusals appeals that go the Land and Environment Court.
Developers have a six month window to lodge an appeal from the date of a “deemed refusal”.
A deemed refusal means council is taking too long to make a decision so it is deemed to have refused the DA and the developer can lodge an appeal with the LEC even though Council is still processing the application.
Some developers have not gone down the deemed refusal route but have instead waited years for a council decision.
The Central Coast Local Planning Panel came into being in 2020, after being announced by the State Government in 2019.
It was welcomed by the business and development community, while the Mayor, Jane Smith, described it as a “power grab”.
Before then, the councillors used to make the decisions now being made by the LPP.
Meanwhile, Council Watch understands the December meeting of the LPP has been put back a week due to lack of a chairperson.
It means any decisions the panel makes might not be enacted until next year with the council shutdown occurring only days after the meeting.
