NSW planning panels: LPP, RPP, SDRPP, IPC explained
NSW planning panels explained: LPP, RPP, SDRPP, IPC, IHAP. When each replaces council as decision-maker. Hearing procedure. Builder prep tips.
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On a significant portion of NSW DAs, council’s elected councillors never vote on your project. A planning panel does. Local Planning Panels (LPPs) replaced elected members as the decision-maker for most metropolitan Sydney DAs worth over $5 million, DAs that attract 10 or more submissions, and a range of other categories. The Sydney and Regional Planning Panels (SDRPP, formerly JRPP) handle state and regional significance matters above $30 million. The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) sits at the top for State Significant Development referrals. Each has its own trigger, composition, and hearing procedure. Assuming council decides and being wrong costs you weeks.
What this article is for
Builders and applicants who haven’t been through a panel hearing before typically underestimate the process. The panel is not just council with different faces. It has a formal hearing procedure, strict rules on contact with members, and a different political dynamic to a council chamber.
This article covers:
- The four bodies in the NSW panel hierarchy and when each applies.
- The trigger thresholds that send a DA to a panel instead of council.
- What a hearing looks like in practice and what the builder’s role is.
- The common gotchas that add time and cost.
It is NSW-specific. For the national planning framework context, see Australian planning scheme structure.
The panel hierarchy
| Body | Jurisdiction | Value threshold | Other triggers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Planning Panel (LPP) | Metro Sydney + Wollongong councils | DAs with capital investment value (CIV) >$5m | Councillor interests; 10+ public submissions; certain sensitive categories |
| Sydney and Regional Planning Panels (SDRPP) | All of NSW by region | CIV >$30m in Greater Sydney; >$5m in regional NSW (State Significant) | Public infrastructure; Crown developments referred by Minister |
| Independent Planning Commission (IPC) | Statewide (State Significant Development and Infrastructure) | No fixed value floor; triggered by referral from planning secretary | Contentious SSD/SSI; Minister-referred |
| IHAP (council-appointed) | Councils outside metro Sydney/Wollongong that opted in | Set by each council | Council-specific categories |
Historical note: Joint Regional Planning Panels (JRPPs) were the predecessor to the SDRPP structure. References to JRPPs in older DAs, planning agreements, or conditions of consent refer to what is now the SDRPP. They are the same bodies under renamed legislation.
Local Planning Panels (LPPs)
LPPs replaced elected councillors as the decision-maker for certain DAs at metropolitan Sydney and Wollongong councils from 1 March 2018. The reform was driven by concerns about conflicts of interest in council chambers on large or politically sensitive applications.
Composition: Three members per panel sitting: an independent chair (legally or planning qualified), one expert member (planning, architecture, engineering, or environment), and one community representative. None are elected. All are appointed by the Minister.
What triggers an LPP referral (metropolitan Sydney + Wollongong):
- DA with a capital investment value over $5 million.
- DA that has received 10 or more unique public submissions objecting to or supporting it.
- DA involving a councillor or council officer conflict of interest.
- DA in a category listed in the relevant Ministerial Direction (certain seniors housing, social housing, and controversial land uses).
- DA where the applicant is a council or a close associate of a councillor.
How the LPP decides: The LPP takes the place of the council as the consent authority. Council’s own planning assessment staff still prepare the assessment report and recommendation. The LPP reads the report, hears from the applicant, the council planner, and any registered speakers at the public hearing, asks questions, and issues its own determination. It is not bound by the council recommendation.
Timeframe: LPPs typically list hearings within 6 to 10 weeks of the DA becoming ready for determination. The panel’s decision is usually issued within 7 to 14 days of the hearing.
Sydney and Regional Planning Panels
The Sydney and Regional Planning Panels (SDRPP, previously called JRPPs) are the bodies for regional significance matters. There are six panels covering Greater Sydney and the five regional NSW areas.
Value thresholds:
- Greater Sydney councils: CIV over $30 million.
- Regional NSW councils: CIV over $5 million (note: lower than the metro LPP threshold, not higher).
Other triggers:
- Development described as a regional project in a SEPP.
- Public infrastructure DAs (schools, hospitals, utilities) regardless of value in some cases.
- Matters referred by the Minister or council where a significant local conflict of interest exists.
Composition: Five members, all appointed by the Minister: a chair, two state government nominees, and two local council nominees. The council nominees are not elected councillors; they are planning professionals nominated by the relevant council.
Hearing procedure: Similar to the LPP process. The relevant council’s assessment team prepares the report. Applicants, objectors, and the council planner all get time to address the panel. The panel deliberates and determines. For large projects this can span multiple hearing days.
Independent Planning Commission (IPC)
The IPC is the apex planning body for State Significant Development (SSD) and State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) applications that are referred by the Planning Secretary. It replaced the Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) in 2018.
When it applies:
- The Planning Secretary recommends refusal of an SSD application.
- An SSD application has received 25 or more unique public submissions during exhibition.
- The Minister refers an SSD or SSI application to the IPC for determination or review.
- An applicant requests IPC review of certain SSD decisions.
Composition: Three commissioners drawn from the IPC’s standing panel of experts. All are independent of government.
What it is not: The IPC does not review ordinary DAs or LPP/SDRPP decisions. Appeals from those go to the Land and Environment Court, not the IPC. If someone tells you “we’ll appeal to the IPC,” that’s incorrect for a standard DA.
Hearing procedure
All panels follow a broadly similar hearing structure, with some variation in formality between LPP hearings (relatively informal) and IPC hearings (more formal, often multi-day).
Typical sequence:
- Chair opens and introduces panel members.
- Council’s assessing planner presents the assessment report and recommendation.
- Applicant’s representative (usually the town planner) presents the case for approval.
- Registered speakers address the panel (objectors first, then supporters). Each typically gets 3 to 5 minutes.
- Panel members ask questions of any party. This is the substantive part: panel members are experts and will ask about specifics.
- Panel deliberates (sometimes in private, sometimes briefly on the record).
- Decision is announced or reserved for issue within the notice period (typically 7 to 14 days).
Registering to speak: Speakers must register with the relevant council or panel secretariat before a stated deadline, usually 24 to 48 hours before the hearing. Walk-ins are generally not heard.
No contact rule: Panel members must be independent. There is a strict prohibition on ex-parte communication. You cannot phone, email, or approach a panel member outside the formal hearing process. Attempting to do so is grounds for a complaint and, in serious cases, can prejudice the application.
What can go wrong
Assuming council will decide. If your project hits any of the LPP triggers (value over $5m, 10 submissions, conflict-of-interest categories), council’s elected members are out of the picture. The referring council still does the assessment work, but the panel determines. Brief your client on this early: the timeline and the dynamics are different.
Being unprepared for the hearing. A panel of three planning and technical experts is not the same audience as an elected council chamber. They will ask about shadow diagrams, traffic generation, acoustic reports, and NCC compliance in detail. The applicant’s planner needs to be across all of it. Builders attending should know the construction method, staging, and any conditions they’ve already agreed to.
Underestimating the appearance cost. Panel hearings require a presenting planner, often specialist consultants on standby, and sometimes legal representation. For a $6 million project going to LPP, the appearance preparation adds cost that a straight council DA does not. Budget for it.
Confusing SDRPP and LPP thresholds in regional NSW. In Greater Sydney the LPP threshold is $5m (for council decision) and the SDRPP threshold is $30m. In regional NSW the SDRPP threshold drops to $5m. A $6 million project in Wagga Wagga goes straight to the SDRPP; the same project in Parramatta goes to the LPP. Get the geography right.
Treating the council recommendation as the outcome. The council assessment report recommends approval or refusal. The panel is not bound by it. Panels have approved projects council recommended refusing and refused projects council recommended approving. The panel’s job is independent merit assessment, not rubber-stamping the council position.
How to use this with related articles
The DA process in NSW covers the end-to-end submission and assessment steps before a DA reaches panel. The exhibition and notification rules explain when and how the public can submit, which is what triggers the 10-submission threshold for LPP referral. Once a panel determination is issued, conditions of consent is the next article to read. If the outcome needs to be challenged, see the Land and Environment Court appeals article.
References
- Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) Part 2 Division 2.7 (Local Planning Panels), via legislation.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- NSW Department of Planning: Local Planning Panels, via planning.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Sydney and Regional Planning Panels, via planning.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
- Independent Planning Commission NSW, via ipcn.nsw.gov.au (verified 2026-05-23).
Related
- Submitting a DA in NSW, step-by-step
- SEPPs in NSW: what they are and when they affect your project
- DA exhibition and notification rules NSW
- Objections and submissions on a DA
- Australian planning scheme structure: how the regimes compare
See also
- NSW Complying Development Certificate (CDC): step-by-step
- Conditions of consent: how to read them
- Land and Environment Court appeals NSW
- DCP (glossary)
- LEP (glossary)
Last updated: 2026-05-23. Verified: 2026-05-23. Quarterly review for currency.