Liverpool City Council is processing development applications at a faster rate after revamping its procedures and introducing time saving assessments.
More resources have also been employed to ensure a speedier resolution of applications and to overcome an unavoidable backlog caused by staff shortages and recruitment challenges.
To continue its program of meeting applicant expectations as quickly as possible, initiatives introduced by Council include:
An external service review has also been completed covering workload, structure, attraction and retention of staff, as well as performance, team culture, safety, customer service, and other development insights.
A complete process-mapping exercise is also being done, to record time saved through restructuring.
Recruitment remains an important issue for Council, with employing more planners a priority to ensure applications are managed and processed with greater efficiency.
A recruitment specialist has been engaged to assist Council with filling vacant positions.
Council initiatives have already brought time saving dividends with an increase in the number of determinations made by council and a reduction in the number of outstanding applications since the start of the year.
Council would like to thank owners, applicants, and residents for their patience and understanding through this period.
Before you carry out any development, it’s important to find out whether you need to lodge a Development Application. This section sets out the Development Application process.
NOTE: If you are a developer or owner-builder, there are important Commonwealth telecommunications rules you need to comply with. For more information visit www.infrastructure.gov.au/tind.
InvestigateYou should check to see if a Development Application (DA) is required to be lodged if you intend to:
Many of these activities can now be undertaken without a DA. See the NSW Department of Planning and Environment's guide to Exempt Development and Complying Development.
For Complying Development 'sign off', or certification, is by a building professional – either an independent certifier or by Council’s own, Liverpool Certification Unit.
Council’s ePlanning Portal can assist you in determining if a DA is required for your proposal on your site.
Should you need to lodge a Development Application, Council strongly recommends the engagement of professional town planners or other qualified professionals to assist you through this process.
Council has a Duty Planner available to provide general planning advice Monday to Friday, by Phone from 8.30am to 2pm and in person from 8.30am to 12 Midday. You can contact the Duty Officer on 1300 36 2170.
To make a Development Application with Liverpool City Council it is recommended that you undertake the following steps:
Should you need to lodge a Development Application, Council strongly recommends the engagement of professional town planners or other qualified professionals to assist you through this process.
Council also has a Duty Planner available between 8.30am and 2:00pm Monday to Friday to provide general planning advice. You can contact the Duty Officer on 1300 36 2170.
To improve environmental health outcomes and efficiency during the development assessment process, Council requires Development Applications to be supported by technical reports prepared or reviewed and certified by suitably qualified environmental consultants. All technical reports shall confirm that the environmental consultant preparing or reviewing and certifying the document is a member of the Society or Association specified below or certified under the relevant certification scheme recognised by Council.
The report's cover or title page must confirm the consultant's qualifications (applicable to wastewater reports only as there is no certification body), membership details or include a watermark for the relevant certification scheme. For contaminated site reports, the cover or title page of the document shall include a personalised electronic seal for either the CEnvP(SC) or CPSS CSAM scheme. Council is unable to recommend specific consultants or auditors.
Certification schemes ensure consultants bear the necessary skills to complete environmental assessments. Council currently recognises environmental consultants with the following qualifications (applicable to wastewater reports only as there is no certification body), membership and/or certifications:
Certification schemes may change or evolve over time and therefore Council will consider these schemes as they arise.
The Development Application form is a legal document. Make sure that there is no false or misleading information. Applications can be lodged:
Development Application fees are calculated on a scale based on the estimated cost of development (as well as the number of lots for Development Applications for subdivision). Council's Customer Service Centre can provide you with a fee estimate for your Development Application.
A disclosure of a political donation or gift will need to be made whenever a person or their associate lodges a Development Application or makes a public submission about a Development Application.
You must declare any potential conflict of interest which includes affiliations or associations with Council staff and Councillors.
Council encourages residents to be involved in the development assessment process by providing feedback (submissions) on development applications during the notification/advertising period.
Low-risk DAs such as houses and other low-scale residential activities are generally not notified or advertised by Council.
You can look up information about specific DAs on Council's ePlanning Portal using either a property address or an application number.
You can provide feedback about a DA:
All feedback submissions will be made available to the public, including publication on Council’s website, as required by the Government Information (Public Access) Regulation 2009.
Please carefully follow the instructions on the online or hardcopy form to ensure that only your comments are published, that your personal details are not published and your privacy is protected.
The Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 requires that your submission not contain any material that is defamatory or constitutes harassment, discrimination or racial or sexual vilification.
You must lodge your submission before the exhibition closing date quoting Council's application number (for example DA-1234/2015).
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