Ire at planning shake-up

Proposed State Government planning reforms, including changes to an independent panel that decides the fates of multimillion-dollar developments, have drawn the ire of some Pilbara local governments.

The changes do away with mandatory local government representation on Development Assessment Panels when voting on development approvals.

As it stands, a panel has five voting members.

Two are from the local council where a development is proposed, two are specialist members with backgrounds in planning and the last is a presiding member, who holds the casting vote.

Decisions can only be made if there is a quorum with one of each member type on the panel.

This month the State Government said it would pursue nine changes to the DAP system.

One means a quorum would only need the presiding member and two other members of any type present, opening the door to developments being passed without the input of local governments.

Shire of Ashburton president Kerry White said this change was not supported.

"While local government representatives or their proxies go to considerable effort to be present at every meeting, there will be rare occasions where extenuating circumstances prevail and they are absent," she said.

"If enacted, it will be incumbent on the local government members to ensure that they are available for all meetings, otherwise it is possible for the views of the council and the community to not be appropriately considered."

Under the current standards, some development applications have been approved despite protests from local members in districts such as Ashburton and the Town of Port Hedland.

Ashburton councillors have at times opposed unit developments in Onslow that they said did not fit the town's aesthetic.

Mrs White said it was unfortunate the DAP had not always seen eye to eye with the concerns of local government panel members.

"It is important that any panel is familiar with the towns which are affected and can make informed decisions on the impact any such decision will have," she said.

At the last Pilbara DAP meeting, plans for a 483-room transient worker's accommodation were approved despite protests from the two Town of Port Hedland representatives on the panel that it would be detrimental to the community.

The approval came at a time when Pilbara MLA Brendon Grylls said he was under pressure from major mining companies about accommodation.

Other changes to be pursued include reducing the nine regional DAPs to three and a joint Pilbara, Gascoyne and Kimberley panel.

A Department of Planning spokeswoman said the latest phase of planning reforms was likely to be completed by the end of the year.