Design review panel process

Please contact the City to arrange a time to discuss your proposal and the process.

Once all requests/applications have been reviewed, a tentative schedule will be prepared. City staff will contact you to confirm your scheduled meeting date.

Submit your proposal at least ten working days before the meeting. Please provide information as listed under the below headings. This will include:

• A completed Design Review Panel Application Form.
• If you are proposing to provide a PowerPoint presentation, this should be no longer than ten minutes and include:
  • a brief overview of the aspirations of the proposal
  • a contextual understanding of the site and how the project sits in and relates to its surroundings
  • how the proposal addresses the 10 Design Principles:
    1. Context and character
    2. Landscape quality
    3. Built form and scale
    4. Functionality and build quality
    5. Sustainability
    6. Amenity
    7. Legibility
    8. Safety
    9. Community
    10. Aesthetics.

In addition, you will be required to provide technical information that sufficiently illustrates site analysis, site design response and the intended design proposal. This may include:

Site analysis

Understanding the site context is important for the Design Review Panel to assess how well a proposal responds to its site and context. The key elements of a site analysis include:

• site location/wider content plan
• aerial photograph
• local context plan (showing surrounding land uses)
• site context and survey plan
• elevations/pictures of the existing streetscape and other factors influence.

Site design response

Clearly articulate the considerations that have informed the broader site design approach. The key elements of a site design response should include:

• assessment of site opportunities
• car parking strategy (for mixed use proposals or where departures from parking standards are proposed)
• orientation study, including winter sun paths and overshadowing of site and adjoining properties
• prevailing breezes and ventilation strategies (for multiple dwellings)
• relationship to public domain and surrounding properties
• investigation of amenity provided for occupants and neighbouring developments
• retention of existing trees and vegetation
• landscape design approach (deep soil zones, location and species of trees)
• communal open spaces
• consideration of culturally relevant or heritage elements and public art (if applicable)
• any relevant specialist advice.

Design response

Depending on the stage of the proposal, sufficient drawing material should be presented to outline the intended design proposal. If the proponent is coming in at concept stage then not all elements below are required. The key elements of a development application design proposal include:

• development details
• design quality statement outlining how the proposal responds to the ten design principles contained in SPP 7.0
• precedents that have informed the design proposal
• site plan
• floor plans
• elevations of the proposal in context
• sections of the proposal in context
• 3D images or visualisations.

We encourage the design team and the property owner to attend the meeting. This avoids ambiguity on meeting outcomes and the panel's recommendations.

The Design Review Panel will provide advice and recommendations on your proposal. We will send minutes to you within ten working days following the meeting date.