JDAPs

05/08/2017 Minister Saffioti told to make daps fair! Irrational approvals, thrown up by Western Australias unfair development assessment process, are again being challenged by two South Perth ratepayers. Under the former government, a 35-storey tower was approved in the Peninsula where the zoned height is only 8 storeys. South Perth Peninsula Actio... n Groups Vicki Redden says Karyl Nairn and Ric Hawley are once again, having to use their own funds to launch a costly judicial review into a decision by the Joint Development Assessment Panel to approve the tower block at 74 Mill Point Road. Court action is the only option to prevent this anomalous development since neither residents nor council can appeal flawed planning decisions to the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT). Because they are party to the initial application, developers can make repeated appeals to SAT over conditions they don't agree with. The Western Australian planning system does not allow third party appeals to SAT. Consequently, in this matter, ratepayers, Councils and affected residents are not afforded the same access to justice as developers. Something is seriously wrong with a system where ratepayers have to police, at their own expense, the lawfulness of decisions of an unelected, unaccountable and poorly advised planning body, Vicki says. Most residents do not have the means to mount a judicial review but it is currently the only way to protect communities from long-term harm when JDAP misuses its extraordinary powers. We can't keep relying on altruism though, we need better and more cost-effective supervision of planning decisions." Ms Redden says JDAP's lack of depth of enquiry into the elements of planning has allowed developers to exploit the process, resulting in approvals for inappropriate developments which are out of step with community wishes and contrary to Council's wider vision for the area. The individual investors in these planned developments are as much the losers as the local residents while developers continue to be ...Read More