Council Assessment Panel (CAP)

The Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (PDI Act) was introduced in stages throughout South Australia.

One of the first provisions of the Act came into effect on 1 April 2017 and required Councils to establish a Council Assessment Panel (CAP) and appoint Assessment Managers to manage the operations of the Panels.

On 4 September 2017, the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters established its Council Assessment Panel, formerly known as the Council Development Assessment Panel (CDAP), in accordance with Sections 82 and 83 of the PDI Act.

The CAP is responsible for assessing and making decisions on applications which require public notification.

The CAP determines a small percentage of all development applications received by the Council, with the remainder considered by staff under delegated authority from the Council’s Assessment Manager.

The Council undertakes an annual review of the Council Assessment Panels performance and its delegations.

For more information, download:

• Council Report: DAP Review - September 2017
• Council Report: CAP Review – October 2019
• Terms of Reference
• Council Assessment Panel Meeting Procedures

The CAP is made up of four Specialist External Members who have expertise in professional fields relevant to the role of the Panel and one Elected Member of the Council.

The Presiding Member is appointed by the Specialist External Members.

All Members of the Panel are appointed until 1 May 2026.

Members

In accordance with Schedule 3 of the PDI Act, the Minister for Planning has adopted a Code of Conduct for Council Assessment Panel members.

A key requirement of the Code is that all members of assessment panels carry out their functions with high ethical standards to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the development assessment process.

Download: Code of Conduct

Under the PDI Act, complaints about the conduct of a Council Assessment Panel Member will no longer be lodged with the relevant council and should be lodged with the State Planning Commission for investigation.

For more information and to lodge a complaint, visit: PlanSA

Agenda and Reports are generally posted on the Council’s website on the Thursday in the week prior to the next scheduled meeting.

For information relating to an application for review of any decision of the Assessment Manager, please download: Council Assessment Panel Review of Decisions of the Assessment Manager Policy

To download the Application for Assessment Panel Review of Assessment Manager’s Decision Application Form, visit: Plan SA website

This form is required to request an Assessment Panel to review a decision made by an Assessment Manager on a development application. A fee of $573 is payable prior to the commencement of a review.  

Please note: You can only lodge a review of a decision for applications dealt with under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016