The Sate Government’s unsolicited removal of Council DAPs from developments 5 stories or more is being challenged.

For those who aren’t aware the Minister for Planning Mr John Rau recently simply took away the powers of Councils to have developments 5 stories and above not assessed by Council’s DAPs. He did this notwithstanding he has a review being conducted right now by the Expert Panel, chaired by Brian Hayes QC.

The review released, by way of a summary of representations made to the panel, yesterday. Their work will continue for at least 6 months as they work toward making recommendations for changes to the planning system.

You might well ask why bother when the Minister can make such a fundamental change as the one he has.

The changes are done and dusted because he is the Minister and what he wants he gets. Well may be not.

Our own Mayor, Lachlan Clyne was provided an opportunity to speak to parliament on this very topic. Mayor Clyne correctly pointed out that in the last 2 years Unley’s DAP considered 272 development applications, 14 of these were challenged and more to the point none, zip, zero, were overturned by the Environment Resources & Development Court.

Today the Mayors and CEOs of metropolitan Councils, following Mayor Clyne’s lead met to overturn the Ministers decision to remove Councils as the development application authority for DAs of 5 stories or more.

I wonder what will happen from here. NB….State Election coming up.