HAWKESBURY Council will investigate forming an Independent Hearing and Assessment Panel with the Blue Mountains and Penrith councils, in a bid to save money.
The state government recently passed legislation to see newly created planning panels – not councils - across Sydney from assessing development applications worth between $5 million and $30 million.
At the August 29 Council meeting, a Notice of Motion by Liberal councillor Tiffany Tree saw Council debate the merits of forming a panel across the three local government areas.
The four Liberal councillors, two Labor councillors and independent Paul Rasmussen voted in favour of pursuing the option.
Local Government NSW president Keith Rhodes said earlier this month that IHAPs would cost $100,000 per annum to run.
A spokesperson for the Department of Planning and Environment said costs would differ between councils and how often IHAPs were required to assess DAs.
“Councils may find these costs are offset through savings on legal costs from reviews and appeals,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also said the Department encouraged councils to form joint IHAPs in an effort to reduce costs.
Labor councillor and deputy Mayor Barry Calvert said this was yet another example of the government shifting costs to councils.
Greens councillor Danielle Wheeler said the figure was galling.
“I am blowed if we should be paying $100,000 to look at a couple of DAs a year,” she said.
Liberal councillor Patrick Conolly said he supported IHAPs, because politics often got in the way of good planning decisions.
“There is a difference between democracy and mob rule, and when applications get upset refused because people don't like them, that is mob rule,” he said.
Cr Tree also said she supported them. She said councils should develop iron-clad planning regulations to ensure IHAPs could only make decisions which were favourable to the community and fell in line with the desired direction of planning.
“We are not meeting community expectations in providing a clear direction to the community,” she said.
“The reason why IHAPs are being brought in, is because people like to treat DAs like a personal ant farm and make decisions incorrectly.”
