NEERG Seminars Investigates Regulatory Overhaul

To keep professionals up to speed with the major changes to Planning in NSW introduced by former Planning Minister the Hon Frank Sartor, NEERG ran a regulatory overhaul series in 2008 and 2009.Then led by Frank Sartor's successor as Planning Minister, the Hon Kristina Keneally, the anticipated rollout of the planning refor...

Six Strategies for Improving Heritage Planning

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Testimonial

“I consider it is vital to attend these (NEERG) seminars regularly. Although one is involved in the profession on a daily basis, it is important to connect with a diverse range of colleagues and related professionals. The workshop sessions provided me with some very good feedback on the current values of the professio...

NEERG Seminars Pty Limited
Level 4, 209 Oxford Street
Bondi Junction

PO Box 636
Bondi Junction NSW 1355
Australia

T (02) 9387 1899
F (02) 9387 8335
seminars@neerg.net.au

APPLYING THE LEC PLANNING PRINCIPLES

TO THE DESIGN AND ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT IN NSW

Apart from architects, developers, lawyers, and town planners, the large audience for this seminar was composed chiefly of representatives of councils from all over Sydney and from centres as far flung as Albury, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Kempsey, Mudgee, Orange, Shellharbour and Wollongong.

The morning session focused on understanding the concepts behind the new Planning Principles, as expressed in recent LEC judgements. The authors of the Planning Principles, the Honourable Peter McClellan, Chief Judge, and Senior Commissioner Dr John Roseth, both of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, spoke first and stayed all day to answer questions.

Barrister, Phil Clay spoke from wide experience of how the Planning Principles can be applied to cases. Allan Coker, Director of Planning and Development at Woollahra Municipal Council explained how he his team has developed web-based systems and processes for applying the Planning Principles to council decisions. Completing the first session, Peter Williams, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of the Built Environment at UNSW discussed how the principles fit with planning theory.

Focusing on the principles in action, the afternoon session discussed the landmark cases which have given rise to planning principles. Barrister, Malcolm Craig QC discussed the importance of DCPs in relation to Stockland-v-Manly. Urban planner, Neil Ingham reviewed views in relation to Tenacity-v-Warringah. Architect, Steve Kennedy talked about architectural design in relation to Totem-v-Waverley, for which he had been the court-appointed expert. Solar access and ventilation expert, Steve King, who is Associate Director of SOLARCH at UNSW, reflected on the Parsonage case.

Concluding the seminar he had chaired, architect and urban planner, Michael Neustein reiterated that the Planning Principles provide a framework for consistent decision-making in assessing cases which come before the Land and Environment Court.