Council Assessment Panel

The Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (PDI Act) came into operation on 1 April 2017 and will be introduced in stages over the next three years.

One of the first provisions of the Act is the requirement for Councils to establish a Council Assessment Panel (CAP) and appoint Assessment Managers to manage the operations of the Panels.

On 4 September 2017, the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters established its Council Assessment Panel, formerly known as the Council Development Assessment Panel (CDAP), in accordance with Sections 82 and 83 of the PDI Act.

For more information about the new legislation, visit: SA Planning Portal – Planning Legislation

The CAP is responsible, on behalf of the Council, for assessing and making decisions on certain types of development applications.

The CAP determines approximately 8 percent of all development applications received by the Council, with the remainder considered by staff under delegated authority.

The types of development applications the CAP decides on generally include major commercial, industrial and residential developments and land divisions which increase economic development opportunities and activities across the Council area.

These development applications are rigorously assessed in order to minimise negative impacts on the character, amenity and natural environment of the area in which they are situated.

The Council undertakes an annual review of the Council Assessment Panels performance and its delegations.

For more information:

Download: Council Report: DAP Review - September 2017

Download: Terms of Reference

The CAP is made up of four Specialist External Members who have expertise in professional fields relevant to the role of the Panel and one Elected Member of the Council.

The Presiding Member is appointed by the Specialist External Members.

All Members of the Panel are appointed until October 2021. 

Members

In accordance with Schedule 3 of the PDI Act, the Minister for Planning has adopted a Code of Conduct for Council Assessment Panel members.

A key requirement of the Code is that all members of assessment panels carry out their functions with high ethical standards to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the development assessment process.

Download: Code of Conduct

Under the PDI Act, complaints about the conduct of a Council Assessment Panel Member will no longer be lodged with the relevant council and should be lodged with the State Planning Commission for investigation.

For more information and to lodge a complaint, visit: State Planning Commission

Agenda and Reports are generally posted on the Council’s website on the Thursday in the week prior to the next scheduled meeting.