Consultation

Consultation is the process of asking landowners and residents about the planning, growth and development of their area. It may be used when a Town Planning Scheme is being prepared or reviewed for an area, or when a town planning application is being assessed. The purpose is to understand and take into consideration the social or community impact of whatever is proposed.
In particular, consultation is used where an application proposes a change or compromise to existing planning requirements, such as a rezoning, conditional development or relaxation. In such cases, the Director of Town & Country Planning may require that consultation is carried out with the people who are most likely to be affected if the proposal is approved, to gauge their views.

There are two main types of consultation that the Director may request:

1. If the proposal will potentially affect only one or two additional properties (such as the neighbour), comments are sought from the landowner of that lot.
2. If the proposal will potentially affect a larger area (perhaps because it will change traffic or affect the availability of shops or services), a public participation exercise is carried out. This involves a survey of the affected area - which may be a street, or a neighbourhood.

In either case, the proposed development (or change) is explained, and respondents asked what benefits it might have and what problems it might cause. They are also asked whether they agree or disagree with the proposal. The outcomes of consultation do not determine the decision, but the Director takes the views and comments of the respondents into consideration in making the final decision about the application.