Two additional expert or professional members have replaced one expert member and the panel’s term has been extended to February 2024.
The term has been extended along with State Government directions.
Stacey Brodbeck and Michael Ryan will replace Garry Fielding who has withdrawn from the panel as a result of other commitments.
The panel is scheduled to meet this Thursday, July 21.
There have been circumstances where the functioning of the Panel has been hindered by a shortage of Panel members, Council said in a recent report to the administrator.
This has included Panel members being unavailable due to other commitments, being required to excuse themselves from consideration due to probity matters or because a quorum was difficult to achieve.
Panel members must excuse themselves from deliberating on matters where they have a conflict of interest.
It is the responsibility of Council to ensure that enough members are appointed to ensure the smooth functioning of the Panel.
Background
As Directed by the Minister for Planning, Councillors resolved on 11 May 2020, to constitute the Central Coast Local Planning Panel and to appoint the inaugural panel members for an initial period expiring 11 July 2021.
Council-under-administration on 27 April 21 extended the appointment period of Panel members until 11 May 2023 which was the maximum allowable period of three years.
But the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) has since advised its intent to align appointment terms across all NSW LPPs so the appointment term now runs through to 29 February 2024.
What a planning panel does
A Local Planning Panel determines a range of Development Applications on behalf of Council and provides advice on strategic planning matters such as Planning Proposals.
At each meeting, the Panel is comprised of four members:
• the Chair (the Chair and alternate Chairs for each Local Planning Panel are nominated by the NSW Minister for Planning);
• two expert members with expertise in urban design, urban planning or other related field (expert panel members are appointed by Council from an approved list of candidates endorsed by the NSW Minister for Planning); and
• one community representative (selected from a pool of members appointed by Council, following a defined appointment process).
Ministerial Directions set out the development types considered by Local Planning Panels, such as applications involving:
• potential conflict of interest for councils
• potentially contentious development
• development that significantly departs from standards;
• sensitive development.
The Local Planning Panel has cost Council $500,000 (half a million) each year since inception in May 2020.
And then there’s the Regional planning panel
Since December 2020, after the councillors were suspended in October 2020, four members of the LPP have been available to sit on the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel (HCCRPP) which deals with development applications of regional significance.
The four members replaced four councillors; two as members and two as alternates.
They are:
• Greg Flynn (Panel Expert Nominee)
• Anthony Tuxworth (Panel Community Nominee)
• Stephen Leathley (Alternate Expert Nominee)
• Lynette Hunt (Alternate Community Nominee).
