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Media Release - Minister's Office Sydney: 25 August 2008 NSW PLANNING REFORMS STRENGTHEN COUNCIL POWERS Local councils are set to be given additional powers to gain reimbursement for some DA assessments and also demand extra information to assess some planning matters, Planning Minister Frank Sartor said today.
The changes, which come into effect from the beginning of September, are part of the NSW Government’s suite of planning reforms and will ensure that councils are reimbursed for resources spent assessing DAs which are substantially amended by the applicant in court.
Councils will also have additional powers to require people, including applicants and accredited certifiers, to answer questions and provide information that is necessary to enable a council to properly exercise its planning functions.
Mr Sartor said the changes would help councils across New South Wales deliver the best planning outcomes in the most effective and efficient manner.
“By giving councils these additional powers and protections, we’re making certifiers and developers more accountable and helping planners better deliver what the community wants.”
Mr Sartor said the new information-gathering powers are being introduced to ensure councils can access all the relevant information to properly undertake their planning and enforcement functions.
“This change will particularly assist councils in ensuring compliance with conditions of consent as well as taking enforcement action if there is a breach of development consent.
“It will also make it an offence for a person to fail to provide information, wilfully obstruct an authorised officer or to provide false or misleading information to a council.”
A number of other minor amendments to the State’s planning legislation will also commence on 1 September.
The first set of changes under the Government’s planning reforms commenced on 1 August, with the remainder to commence in stages over the coming months
The relevant amendments and regulations can be found from September 1 2008, at www.legislation.nsw.gov.au
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