Design review panel

The Design Review Panel plays an advisory role, offering technical advice to the City. It does not have decision-making authority, but decision makers will give due regard to the outcome of a design review assessment when considering a Development Application.

The panel meets (in most instances) every third Tuesday of the month. These meetings are not open for the public or elected members (excluding applicants and property owners) to attend. 

The City's Design Review Policy sets how the Design Review Panel operates.

The following members have been appointed to sit on the City's Design Review Panel for the period 3 October 2022 to 3 October 2024.

A minimum of four panel members shall be drawn from a pool of up to nine to review each item.

If an item has heritage impacts to buildings on the City Heritage Inventory or a building over one hundred years old then at least one heritage expert will be included in the panel.

Member Expertise Company
Malcolm Mackay
Chairperson
Urban Design, Architecture, Sustainable Development Mackay Urban Design
Brett Wood-Gush
Deputy Chairperson
Landscape Architect, Sustainable Development, Transport and Public Art. Insight Urbanism Pty Ltd
Stephen Carrick Urban Design, Architecture, Sustainable Development, Heritage Stephen Carrick Architects
Bruce Callow Urban Design, Architecture, Sustainable Development, Heritage Bruce Callow Architect 
Peter Damen Sustainability, Transport Planning and Civil Engineer Level 5 Design
Lui Violanti Urban Design, Architecture, Sustainable Development Inhabit 
Walter Van Der Loo Landscape Architect, Place Planning, Urban Design, Sustainable Development Place Laboratory
Amelia Thorpe Strategic Planning, Urban Design, Urban Policy, Transport Planning, Housing, Heritage, Infrastructure, Law Self employed
Wayne Dufty Urban Design, Architecture, Sustainable Development DNA Architects

The below development proposal types must be referred to the Design Review Panel before lodging a Development Application.

Number Type
1. All Multiple Dwellings and proposals for grouped dwellings of ten (10) units or more.
2. Development that is three or more storeys (above natural ground level) in height excluding single residential dwellings and additions to single residential dwellings.
3. Major extensions or amendments to those proposals referred to in a) and b) above, which in the opinion of the City would benefit from review by the Design Review Panel.
4. All mandatory Joint Development Assessment Panel (JDAP) proposals no matter the height (excluding applications that do not have a built form component).
5. All Optional ‘opt-in’ JDAP proposals no matter the height (excluding applications that do not have a built form component).
6. Any amendment to a JDAP approval, which in the opinion of the City would benefit from a review by the Design Review Panel.
7. City proposals.
8. Any relevant development application, scheme amendment, activity centre plan, structure plan, policy, precinct plan, local development plan or design guidelines referred by the Executive Manager Planning and Development.

The Design Review Panel (DRP) generally meet on Tuesdays where proposals are being presented. For more information on an upcoming DRP meeting, please contact us.

Section 11 of the Planning Fees Charges 2023-2024 prescribe a fee of $1,700 per Design Review. 

The City will cover the cost of the first Design Review provided it occurs before the lodgement of the corresponding Development Application. A bond of $5,100 will be charged at the point where the first DRP fee is required. Any unspent bond money will be refunded at the end of the DRP process.

No. of meetings Pre-lodgement of DA Post lodgement of DA
Meeting 1 $0 $1,700
Meeting 2 $1,700 $1,700
Meeting 3 $1,700 $1,700

Find out what is involved in the Design Review Panel process

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