Day opens call for experts

PLANNING Minister John Day has put out the call for 45 town planning and building experts to make up 15 development assessment panels to be established by July.

The panels are a fundamental component of Mr Day’s attempts to streamline the building and approvals process in Western Australia, and are designed to take pressure off local governments, which have not been able to process applications in a timely manner.

The panels will assess applications worth more than $15 million in the City of Perth, and more than $7 million across other local government jurisdictions.

Applicants will also have the option for panels to assess applications between $10 million and $15 million in the City of Perth, and between $3 million and $7 million across the rest of the state.

Mr Day said each panel would comprise five members – a presiding member, two specialist members and two local government representatives.

Expressions of interest for the specialist member positions close on March 4.

“Specialist members may have experience in one or more of the following areas of expertise: town planning; architecture; urban design; engineering; landscape design; environment; law; property development and management,” Mr Day said in a statement.

“Presiding members and deputy presiding members will be required to hold town planning qualifications.”

Local governments will be invited to nominate councillors to sit on the panels in March.