Land Surveyors

1424 The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (24 September 2019). Given the problems which have emerged with private certification in the building industry, what considerations were given in the drafting of the accredited professional scheme and the Planning, Development and Infrastructure (General) (Development Assessment) Variation Regulations 2019, to the extension of the authority for accredited professional land surveyors to grant planning consent for deemed-to-satisfy land divisions?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning): I have been advised the following—

The Accredited Professionals Scheme aims to enhance the reliability, flexibility and accountability of decision-makers in the planning system and give development applicants greater confidence in the way that their development applications are assessed. Accredited professionals will be subject to continuing professional development requirements, as well as being subject to periodic and random auditing of their accreditation and decision making.

Land surveyors accredited under the Accredited Professionals Scheme may in future have the ability to issue a planning consent for land division where all deemed-to-satisfy provisions have been met i.e. if the proposed land division does not meet all requirements, a land surveyor will have no authority to grant a planning consent, and the application would need to be lodged with the council as a performance assessed land division application.

The Planning and Design Code will clearly set out the policy requirements for land division including key provisions relating to minimum allotment sizes and frontage width. The department recognises this matter requires close consideration and engagement with key stakeholders including industry, local government and the land surveying profession prior to its introduction in the code.