Commenting on Development Proposals

Council writes to people we think may be directly affected by any development application (DA) we receive.

Council has sent me a letter about a nearby development.  What do I need to do?

For a range of development applications (DAs), Council notifies landowners and occupiers who may be affected by the proposal. 

If you receive a letter about a proposed development, you don't have to do anything, but you can choose to:

1. seek more information - large scale site plans, elevations, a statement of environmental effects and other relevant information is made available for public viewing as specified in the letter you receive. You may also contact the Council officer whose name is given, if you have any questions.
2. write to Council before the deadline given in your notification letter, following the instructions below. 
   
   

Do I have to submit a comment?

No. If you receive a notification letter but are happy with the proposed development, you do not need to do anything.

Before deciding if you want to comment, you are welcome to seek more information from us. Your letter will tell you who to call if you have questions, and when and where relevant documents are available for you to look at (such as large scale site plans, elevations, a statement of environmental effects).

How to submit a comment?

If you do want to make a submission about the DA, it needs to be in writing and must include:

• the DA reference number and address it relates to (found on our letter to you)
• clear reasons why you object to or support the development proposal
• your name
• your email address so we can communicate with you in a timely manner
• a phone number we can talk to you on if we need to.

All submissions must be received on or before the deadline given in the letter we sent you.

You can submit your comments via:

More information on making a submission is available below, or you can download a copy of our Commenting on a DA fact sheet.

Important information about your submission

Tips for writing a good submission

To make your submission as effective as possible:

• be brief and to the point – if your submission needs to be lengthy because of the issues involved or a number of grounds for objection, then it is a good idea to include a single page summary sheet for easy reference
• back up your comments with facts, not gossip
• be fully informed about the submission – talk to our staff, look at all the documents on public exhibition
• focus on how the proposal will affect you and the enjoyment of your land
• be as specific as possible.

Petitions and pro forma letters

If someone asks you to sign a petition or a standard letter objecting to a development proposal, you can choose to do so however this is not treated as an individual submission. Council will consider petitions and pro forma letters, but an individual letter about how the proposed development will affect you is a better way to help Council get a clear understanding of the issues.

Political donations

If you have made certain kinds of political donations or gifts to a person or party, you are legally required to declare this when making a submission about a relevant DA (see Local Government and Planning Legislation Amendment (Political Donations) Act 2008).

Find out more on the NSW Department of Planning website.

Council is required to keep an up-to-date register of any disclosures of political donations or gifts. Contact our Public Officer on (02) 4732 7649.

Will my comments be confidential?

No. DAs and documents relating to them are "open access" information under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. This means they will be available on request. In some cases Council can decide that it is not in the public interest for a submission to be made available, but this is rare and you should assume that others may see your submission.

What will council do with my submission?

We will write to you to confirm we have received your individual submission, and let you know who to call if you have questions or concerns.

Your submission will be considered, along with any others we receive, as part of our assessment of the DA. This however does not apply to signatories on a petition. In some cases the concerns raised in submissions are discussed with the applicant and sometimes they will make changes to their DA to address these.

What next?

If we receive an amended DA or if the DA is likely to be reported to a Council meeting we will write to you again after the submission period ends.

You can also contact us to find out about the progress of the DA, or enquire online through the DA tracker on Council’s website.