Local Planning Panel

A local planning panel is formed under the authority of the Local Government Act and is a requirement of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The functions of the panel are to:

• provide an independent and open forum for interested persons and groups to hear and make submissions about development proposals referred for determination
• provide increased transparency of process and expert assessment of development proposals referred
• consider and determine development applications and s96 modifications.

The following Operational Guideline(PDF, 147KB) was adopted by the Local Planning Panel at its meeting on 28 July 2021.

The Guideline should be read in conjunction with the existing Code of Conduct and Operation Procedures published by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

For more information, please contact the Planning Panels Secretariat on 02 8217 2060.

Local Council Planning Meetings are generally held on the last Wednesday of each month from 3pm, via Microsoft teams

2025 dates

• 26 February
• 26 March
• 23 April
• 28 May
• 25 June
• 23 July
• 27 August
• 24 September
• 29 October
• 26 November
• 10 December

Webcast

Meetings can be viewed live and on demand.

Agenda items and the minutes for Local Planning Panel meetings are made available online in PDF format.

• The meeting agenda will be available online one week before the meeting.
• The minutes of the meeting will usually be published by close of business on the Friday following the meeting.

The community is able to make written submissions to the Local Planning Panel.

If you are interested in addressing the Panel for a specific item being considered on the current agenda please submit your request by midday the day prior to the meeting.

Request to address - community access to meetings

• The requirements for making a submission on a development proposal to Council remain the same.
• If the proposal cannot be determined under delegation by Council staff it will be referred to the Local Planning Panel and the person making a submission will be given an opportunity to speak to the Panel about their submission.
• Each submission, when read aloud should be no longer than five minutes. This will be strictly enforced.

The following applications are referred to the Local Planning Panels Direction:

1. Conflict of interest

Development for which the applicant or land owner is:

1. the council,
2. a councillor,
3. a member of council staff who is principally involved in the exercise of council’s functions under the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979,
4. a member of Parliament (either the Parliament of New South Wales or Parliament of the Commonwealth), or
5. a relative (within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1993) of a person referred to in (b) to (d).

but not development for the following purposes:

1. internal alterations and additions to any building that is not a heritage item,
2. advertising signage,
3. maintenance and restoration of a heritage item, or
4. minor building structures projecting from the building façade over public land (such as awnings, verandas, bay windows, flagpoles, pipes and services, and sun shading devices).

2. Contentious development

Development that:

1. in the case of a council having an approved submissions policy – is the subject of the number of submissions set by that policy, or
2. in any other case – is the subject of 10 or more unique submissions by way of objection.

An approved submissions policy is a policy prepared by the council and approved by the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment which details the circumstances in which a local planning panel or council staff should exercise the consent authority functions of the council, based on the number and nature of submissions received about development.

3. Departure from development standards

Development that contravenes a development standard imposed by an environmental planning instrument by more than 10% or non-numerical development standards.

Note: If the Secretary allows concurrence to be assumed by council staff for contravening development standards, the panel can delegate these applications to council staff to determine.

4. Sensitive development

1. Designated development.
2. Development to which State Environmental Planning Policy No 65 – Design Quality of Residential Apartment Development applies.
3. Development involving the demolition of a heritage item.
4. Development for the purposes of new licenced premises, that will require one of the following liquor licences:
   (i) a club licence under the Registered Clubs Act 1976,
   (ii) a hotel (general bar) licence under the Liquor Act 2007, or
   (iii) an on-premises licence for public entertainment venues under the Liquor Act 2007.
5. Development for the purpose of sex services premises and restricted premises.
6. Development applications for which the developer has offered to enter into a planning agreement.

There is the opportunity to review decisions made by the Campbelltown City Local Planning Panel. The applicant can seek a review of a determination and this will be referred to the Local Planning Panel's Review Body where panel members who did not sit on the original panel for that determination will take part.

An applicant may also appeal to the Land and Environment Court.