Assessment process for Development Applications
The Assessment Process
What happens when the application is lodged?
Once you’ve lodged your application, your file will be created and registered. It will then be allocated to a Development Assessment Planner who is responsible for assessing your development proposal.
Circumstances for rejection
At this stage, DART (Development Approvals Review Team) will determine whether the application may proceed or whether it should be rejected as an incomplete application.
DART is a team with members including: Manager Development Approvals, Team Leader Development Assessment and Team Leader Building Certificate. This Team meet a minimum of twice each week to review every Development Application lodged.
What happens next
Following the review by DART when the application is accepted, the following process generally take place
- An invoice for payment is issued and a request for any additional information (if required)
- The application is assigned to an Assessment Officer to commence the assessment process.
What are internal referrals?
Depending on the type of proposal, it may be necessary to seek internal advice from our engineers, heritage consultant, building inspectors and environmental health officers.
What are external referrals?
To meet legislative requirements, referrals may be necessary to State Government Departments and Agencies, such as the Rural Fire Service, Roads and Maritime Services or Office of Water. Any one of these agencies or external referral bodies may require additional information from the applicant.
Advertising and notification
If your application requires advertising and/or notification, the notification letters and newspaper noticed are prepared.
Notification letters are sent to all adjoining and adjacent landowners. If a development is advertised, a notice is placed in the local newspaper.
Any person who feels that their property may be adversely affected for a Development Application can make a written submission in response. You can find out more about making a submission by downloading the Information about making a submission to a DA. (PDF 342.3KB)
How does Council assess a Development Application (DA)?
For each DA, we are required to:
- assess the application against the matters specified in s.79C of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
- consider all the objections and comments made within the advertising and notification period
- determine the environmental impacts of the development and whether or not it is in the public interest
How is a DA determined?
We receive a large number of DAs each year. Most DAs are for minor works such as alternations to residential properties. These are dealt with by officers under the delegated authority of the Council.
Applications with submissions may be determined by the Manager Development and Approvals or the Director Planning and Community Services. In these cases, the objections have been considered and addressed through modification to the proposal or conditions of consent.
All submissions relevant to the application are carefully considered before such a decision is made. The application may either be approved or refused. A letter is sent to all those who made a submission explaining the reasons for either decision.
If a proposal is contentious or the objections cannot be satisfied by conditions of consent, the application is determined by the elected Council. If the application is determined by the Council, anyone who prepared a submission will be contacted with details of the meeting date and time should they wish to attend.
You can find out more about Council meetings here.
Some applications are determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panel or JRPP who provide independent, merit-based decision making on regionally significant development. The Northern Joint Regional Planning Panel determine applications in the Tamworth Regional Council Local Government Area.
Applications for regionally significant developments are processed by Council and then determined by the JRPP. The public are welcome to attend these meetings which are scheduled as needed.
The types of development and the criteria by which development is classified to be regionally significant is found in Schedule 4A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
Following determination, the applicant will receive written notice of the outcome. Anyone who lodged a submission during the assessment period will also receive a letter advising them of the determination.