Under the new planning system, councils are no longer a relevant authority in their own right for planning consent and land division consent. They must appoint an Assessment Panel to perform the assessment functions.
Each panel must include a minimum of three members and a maximum of five members. Each member must be accredited under the Accredited Professionals Scheme as Planning Level 2. One member of the panel may be an Elected Member who does not require any accreditation.
All panels must appoint an accredited Assessment Manager to manage the staff and operations of the panel as well as providing expert advice to panel members. This Assessment Manager cannot also be a member of the Panel and are a relevant authority in their own right.
There are several types of Assessment Panel:
Assessment Panel | How Established |
|---|---|
Council Assessment Panel (CAP) | Appointed by a council and replace existing council’s Development Assessment Panel (DAP) under the Development Act 1993. |
Joint Planning Board Assessment Panel | Appointed by a Joint Planning Board. |
Combined Assessment Panel | Established by the Minister to be involved in applications across different legislation (for example, planning and mining or liquor licensing). |
Regional Assessment Panel (RAP) | Established by the Minister and comprises parts or all of the areas of two or more councils. RAPs can also be established by a Joint Planning Board. |
Local Assessment Panel | Constituted by the Minister upon recommendation of the Commission following an inquiry into an existing Council Assessment Panel. |
Planning consent
Assessment Panels can grant or refuse planning consent to:
- performance assessed development that is publicly notified
Assessment Panels are the relevant authority for Planning Consent that requires public notification or Building Consent.
Building consent
Assessment Panels can grant or refuse building consent to:
- all development but they must seek the advice of an accredited building professional before issuing a decision. They may also refer the application to a building certifier or relevant council under s99(1).
