New planning authority concerns Cottesloe residents

by Chris Cramb, 30 March 2011

Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) in Western Australia came into operation on March 24, creating doubt over planning power for Cottesloe residents and groups against the beachfront high-rise plans.

Appointed by the Minister for Planning, John Day, DPAs are panels of independent planning specialists and local government representatives that have the power to make decisions on developments exceeding two million dollars.

The Property Council of Australia advocated the creation of DAPs as “a solution to the state’s cumbersome approvals process.

“The creation of DAPs, and the associated planning reforms, represents the most important changes to WAs development approvals process in decades,” it claims.

“The new legislation improves the planning system by providing more transparency, consistency, and reliability in decision-making on complex development applications,” said the WA Planning Commission.

The recent changes have not sat well with those who have been fighting against Cottesloe’s high-rise plans, as they are sceptical as to how much power the local government and residents will have in regard to the final decision.

“DAPs will replace the role of the local government,” claimed John Hammond, president of the community lobby group Keep Cott Low.

“It erodes the power of the local council,” he said.

“There will be no public accountability or scrutiny of DAPs.”

“The council don’t have a great track record of managing this. It’s good that someone is taking over,” said Mr John Sadleir, a resident of Cottesloe for 60 years and previous Cottesloe Council member.

“It’s unfortunate the council have done it as they have,” Mr Sadleir said.

“The council has had its chance. They had plenty of time to engage with developers and solve it, but they have been too equivocal.”

While Mr Sadleir and his wife are happy with beachfront development of up to five stories, they feel eight stories is too much, and fears that the DAP assigned to Cottesloe may conclude on a plan “worse” than what they want.

The Minister will establish fifteen different DAPs, one for each local government area, on 2^nd May this year.

The first of the DAP meetings is scheduled to sit on the 1^st July 2011.