Design Review Panel

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 Panel in light of the initial issues raised.

For formal applications, the Panel's views and recommendations will be provided to the applicant and outlined in any 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.

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 proponent fees associated with attendance for each meeting is a free service for up to two meetings. Each subsequent meeting incurs a cost of $1250.

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 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 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 Panel members
• Record key issues and Panel recommendation
• The Panel report will be referred to the Chairperson for final review and ratification
• The ratified report will be provided to the Proponent within 10 working days of the meeting.

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.

In accordance with the Terms of Reference endorsed by Council at its Ordinary Meeting held 29 June 2021, 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 Panel for comment on more than one occasion, the plans and Panel summary for each Panel discussion will be provided on the City’s website.

Every proponent will be provided a copy of the 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.