The State Government’s highly controversial Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) planning approval process is under increasing scrutiny.
DAPs were introduced by the Minister for Planning in July, 2011, “he said they would streamline the planning process, make the system more flexible and be more transparent.”
There were warnings by planning experts about the dangers of DAPs before they were introduced. Here is a excellent paper by Denis MacLeod, a leading planning lawyer, at a Local Government forum in October 2009.
Then one year after the system had been introduced, in 2012, Ian MacRae, President of Local Government Planners Association, delivered this paper at the UWA. More information about DAP concerns can be found here on Councillor Julie Matheson’s page.
Unsurprisingly, we are now seeing a growing number of residents and Local Government Councillors from all over Perth up in arms and speaking out, over what they see as an inherently flawed, undemocratic system that favours developers and gives them no say or right to appeal (third party appeal rights) against inappropriate developments in their areas that negatively affect them. Continue reading →