Council is looking for community representatives to be members of the Waverley Local Planning Panel (WLPP).

The WLPP is responsible for assessing and determining a range of development applications for Council as required under legislation. Members of the panel receive remuneration for attendance at panel meetings.

Information about the panel can be found on council's website at
waverley.nsw.gov.au/building/Waverley_Local_Planning_Panel

We are seeking high quality community representatives that meet the following criteria:

  • are current residents within the Waverley LGA;
  • have an understanding of the Waverley LGA and issues of concern to the local community;
  • have the capacity to form independent views and to contribute constructively to the determination of applications;
  • are able to demonstrate a basic level of understanding of the planning system, i.e. knowledge of the Council’s Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plan, Local Strategic Planning Statement and Community Strategic Plan;
  • are committed to following the Code of Conduct for Local Planning Panel Members and the Local Planning Panels Operational Procedures, and attending local planning panel meetings and completing panel business in required timeframes.

Please note that Mayors, Councillors, property developers and real estate agents are not eligible for appointment.

Any questions should be emailed to wlpp@waverley.nsw.gov.au

Expressions of interests must be accompanied by a CV and written response to the selection criteria and be addressed to Council’s General Manager, Emily Scott, submitted via the Have Your Say form below.

EOI closes at 5pm, Wednesday 29 April 2026.

The Waverley Local Planning Panel determines significant DAs (as defined by the criteria set by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces) in the Waverley LGA. This includes DAs such as new Residential Flat Buildings, the demolition of a heritage item, development which has a significant number of unique objections, a departure to a statutory development standard greater than 10%, applications proposing a planning agreement or an identified conflict of interest. The Panel will also determine Regionally Significant Development Applications and provides comment to Planning Proposals.

The Panel is made up of a pool of planning experts and community representatives, independent of Council, who meet monthly. Councillors are no longer involved in the decision-making process for determining those DAs, allowing them more time to focus on strategic planning issues, such as the planning controls that underpin DA decisions.

The Panel operates in accordance with the Operational Procedures set by the Minister.

The Panel members are independent of Council. Each Panel will consist of a specialist from the disciplines of Architecture, Urban Design, Town Planning, Heritage and Planning Law as well as elected community representatives.

Each Panel meeting consists of:

  • a Chairperson (appointed by the Minister);
  • 2 other experts (appointed by a council from a pool of independent, qualified people endorsed by the Minister);
  • a community representative.

The Operational Procedures requires a pool of Panel members which are interchanged for each meeting to ensure there is a level or randomisation involved in which community representatives and expert members hear a matter, through regular rotation. If you are appointed as a community representative member of the Panel your attendance is not required every month.

Panel members must be available to attend public Panel meetings during business hours and dedicate time to read the WLPP agenda paper prior to the public meeting. This includes reading the assessment reports, undertaking a site inspection and understanding the architectural plans for each matter before the Panel for that month, prior to the meeting date.

Members of the panel receive remuneration for attendance at panel meetings.

Panel members are not permitted to discuss any matter that is to be considered by the panel with Councillors, the applicant, their consultants, submitters or any other person with an interest in the matter outside of the Panel meeting.

Panel members must declare any conflicts of interest prior to each meeting. The Local Planning Panel's Code of Conduct outlines what is a conflict of interest.