LGAT Submission - Development Assessment Panels Framework Position Paper
The State Government released its Development Assessment Panels (DAPs) Framework Position Paper last year for consultation. We invited representatives from Tasmanian councils to attend a workshop and provide written feedback directly to us so we could prepare an informed submission on behalf of the sector.
Our engagement work and research uncovered the following:
- The case for DAPs needs improvement.
- The design of the proposed DAPs framework needs improvement.
- State engagement of local government in planning policy needs improvement.
- Many councils remain open-minded to a well-designed DAPs framework.
- Codesign and targeting evidenced problems can generate a more widely accepted DAPs framework.
- The real solution to planning performance lies in completing Tasmania’s planning system.
Our submission also highlights the multiple gaps and deficiencies in Tasmania’s planning framework that need addressing, such as the completion of the Tasmanian Planning Policies and updates to the Regional Land Use Strategies. We strongly believe that improving the performance of the existing system should be the focus of State planning resources, not the development of further regulatory pathways.
We remain disappointed at the absence of consultation that led to the announcement of this policy, which generated conflict and concern across local government. Councils are the primary managers and mediators of growth and change in the state and are central to planning policy. It’s unfortunate that this role was not recognised at the time, but we look forward to our sector collaborating with the State Government moving forward.