Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979

A consent authority (other than the Minister) must not—

refuse its consent to a Crown development application, except with the approval of the Minister, or

impose a condition on its consent to a Crown development application, except with the approval of the applicant or the Minister.

If the consent authority fails to determine a Crown development application within the period prescribed by the regulations, the applicant or the consent authority may refer the application—

to the Minister, if the consent authority is not a council, or

to the applicable planning panel, if the consent authority is a council.

A Crown development application for which the consent authority is a council must not be referred to the Minister unless it is first referred to the applicable planning panel.

Subsection (2A) does not apply if no applicable planning panel is constituted for the part of the State in which the development is to be carried out.

An applicable planning panel to which a Crown development application is referred may exercise the functions of the council as a consent authority (subject to subsection (1)) with respect to the application.

A decision by an applicable planning panel in determining a Crown development application is taken for all purposes to be the decision of the council.

If an applicable planning panel fails to determine a Crown development application within the period prescribed by the regulations, the applicant or the panel may refer the application to the Minister.

The party that refers an application under this section must notify the other party in writing that the application has been referred.

When an application is referred under this section to an applicable planning panel or the Minister, the consent authority must, as soon as practicable, submit to the panel or the Minister—

a copy of the development application, and

details of its proposed determination of the development application, and

the reasons for the proposed determination, and

any relevant reports of another public authority.

An application may be referred by a consent authority or applicable planning panel before the end of a relevant period referred to in subsection (2) or (5).