Design Review Panel

Design quality is important to the City of Stirling and allows solutions to be collaborative, gaining expert independent advice on the design quality of significant and complex development application proposals and strategic instruments.

Integrating design review into the planning system is a key component of the implementation and operation of State Planning Policy 7.0 – Design of the Built Environment.

The Design Review Panel will:

• Attend regularly scheduled meetings at the City of Stirling Administration Centre, or via videoconference link if required.
• Provide independent expert design advice on various development proposals and strategic instruments against the 10 Design Principles within State Planning Policy 7.0 – Design of the Built Environment.
• Provide, through the Chairperson, independent, impartial, expert advice on design quality which will be presented to proponents, decision-makers and the community in a formal written report and recommendation against the 10 Design Principles of State Planning Policy 7.0 – Design of the Built Environment.
• The roles and responsibilities of the Chairperson and the Panel members are outlined in the City of Stirling Design Review Panel Terms of Reference.

The appointed panel of 18 members, with a minimum of 3 for any such meeting will be in place for a 2-year term. Panel members are paid for attendance per meeting attended.

Suitably qualified professionals with demonstrated expertise in the following field/s:

• Architecture
• Heritage
• Landscape Architecture
• Planning
• Sustainability and Environmental Design
• Urban Design.

The following matters may be referred to the Panel:

• Development Applications valued at $2 million and over excluding:
  • Single House applications
  • Grouped Dwelling applications
  • Warehouse applications.
  • Where located within the Industry Zone unless referred to the Panel by the Manager Development Services
  • Where located within the Service Station Zone unless referred to the Panel by the Manager Development Services
• Multiple Dwelling Applications equal to or greater than 10 dwellings
• Local Development Plans
• Structure Plans
• Activity Centre Plans
• Any proposed relevant Local Planning Scheme amendment or Local Planning Policy (including design guidelines) where referred by the Director Planning and Development
• Any proposed Development Application which requires the exercise of judgement where referred by the Manager Development Services
• Any City Project where referred by a member of the City’s Executive Team.

Early engagement with the Design Review Panel process is encouraged. This engagement, and any subsequent feedback, will be provided by relevant City officers to an applicant within 10 working days following the Design Review Panel meeting. Amendments by applicants in response to feedback provided may be further reviewed by the Design Review Panel in light of the initial issues raised.

For formal applications, the Design Review Panel’s views and recommendations will be provided to the applicant and outlined in a formal report prepared by the City, such as a Council Report or Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) Responsible Authority Report. The Panel meeting notes will also be provided for consideration by the decision maker.

Lodgement of a Development Application

The City will present your application to the Design Review Panel for consideration following lodgement of a development application or pre development advice request. Your application must meet the following thresholds;

• Development Applications valued at $2 million and over excluding:
  • Single House applications
  • Grouped Dwelling applications
  • Warehouse applications
  • Developments located within the Industry Zone unless referred to the panel by the Manager Development Services
  • Developments located within the Service Station Zone unless referred to the panel by the Manager Development Services.
• Multiple Dwelling Applications equal to or greater than 10 dwellings
• Any proposed Development Application which has been referred by the Manager Development Services.

Development Applications can be lodged via the City’s website from the lodge an application page.  Alternatively you can lodge via post to Development Services, 25 Cedric Street Stirling WA 6021 or in person at the City’s Administration Centre. A Pre Development Application can be lodged on the City’s website from the Planning Pre-lodgement advice page.

The following information is to be provided when seeking the Design Review Panel’s comments following lodgement of a development application:

1. Site Context Analysis & Design Response
2. Full set of plans/drawings provided in PDF format and drawn to appropriate scale
3. Colour Perspectives of proposed development
4. Assessment against SPP 7.0 Design Principles
5. Assessment against City’s Planning Framework.

Following receipt of a pre-lodgement advice request to attend a Design Review Panel meeting and submission of the above information, City Officers will advise the applicant of the meeting date and attendance time.

The City’s Design Review Panel is a free service for the first meeting. Each subsequent meeting incurs a cost of $1,250 to a proponent.

Design Review Panel meetings are not open to the public and can only be attended by applicants only. The meeting will also be attended by City Officers and Design Review Panel members.

The Design Review Panel Chairperson will conduct the meeting in accordance with the meeting format outlined below. The recommended meeting duration for an item is 50 minutes, including a briefing. A longer duration can be allowed for complex projects. The format for discussion of individual items includes:

1. Panel briefing and pre-review Panel discussion - 15 minutes
2. Welcome and Introductions - 5 minutes
3. Proponent presentation - 10 minutes
4. Panel questions and clarifications - 5 minutes
5. Panel discussion - 10 minutes
6. Confirmation of advice/recommendations - 5 minutes.

The Design Review Panel will produce a recommendation report on the development proposal and will be compiled in the following way:

• Compiled as a draft during the meeting, using the template provided electronically with projection, to enable the intent of recommendations to be generally agreed upon at the meeting.
• Record conflicts of interest of Design Review Panel members.
• Record key issues and Design Review Panel recommendation
• The Design Review Panel report will be referred to the Chairperson for final review and ratification
• The ratified Design Review Panel report will be provided to the Proponent within 10 working days of the meeting.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference endorsed by Council at its Ordinary Meeting held 9 May 2023, Design Review Panel Items relating to preliminary proposals (not including plans) and development applications (including plans) will be summarised and provided on the City’s website. Should a development application be presented to the Design Review Panel for comment on more than one occasion, the plans and Design Review Panel summary for each Design Review Panel discussion will be provided on the City’s website.

Every proponent will be provided a copy of the Design Review Panel minutes to assist in the development of the design right through from the preliminary proposal process and development application.

Minutes from formal referrals will be published via the relevant reporting process (Council Reports or JDAP Reports). Minutes in respect of pre-application matters will not be made available.

For development applications, the panel recommendations should also include one or a combination of the following statements:

The design is supported The design is supported and is of sufficiently high quality to meet the relevant provisions of a particular planning instrument The design is supported subject to the following conditions The design is not supported giving clear reasons.