Referral criteria
The Minister for Planning has the power to direct which development applications (DAs) local planning panels (LPPs) determine and which planning proposals must be referred to an LPP for advice.
The government recognises that not all councils have the same population size or demand for development, so the referral criteria for DAs have 3 thresholds:
- Group A (Schedule 1) – most councils
- Group B (Schedule 2) – councils that determine more than 1,800 DAs and have a population over 200,000
- Group C (Schedule 3) – the City of Sydney.
Relevant documents
- Local Planning Panels Direction – Development Applications and Applications to Modify Development Consents (PDF, 177 KB)
- Referral criteria LPP Direction – Planning proposals (PDF, 410 KB)
All other DAs are determined by council staff or the Sydney or regional planning panel.
Code of conduct
A code of conduct governs the behaviour and standards of panel members. It is a key tool for preventing corruption in the determination of DAs.
The minister has directed that new members must agree to abide by the code of conduct.
- LPP Direction – Appointment of new members (PDF, 583 KB)
- LPP Direction – Interim appointment of members – January 2024 (PDF, 240 KB)
Operational procedures
The operational procedures help ensure that LPPs meet their obligations efficiently and effectively.
Remuneration
The minister has set the pay for panel members.
Establishment
The minister has directed that the names of LPPs must follow a convention.
For more information about statutory rules for local planning panels, phone the Planning Panels Secretariat on 02 8217 2060.