Auditor-general Maxine Cooper calls for tighter planning controls, greater monitoring of certifiers (ABC)

View Comments ABC The audit has cleared planning authorities of any improper influence in the development approval of Andrew Kefford's Deakin house.

ACT auditor-general Maxine Cooper is calling for tighter planning processes after finding some houses built in Canberra should not have been approved.

Under the current planning system, a house can be built in an existing residential area without development approval, provided a private building certifier checks it complies with certain rules.

Dr Cooper has examined seven case studies including approvals for a house owned by public service commissioner Andrew Kefford.

The inquiry was prompted by media reports last year raising questions about single dwelling developments given a development approval exemption by a private building certifier.

Dr Cooper found no evidence of improper influence exerted on or by planning officers in any of the case studies.

But her report found two of the houses - neither of which was Mr Kefford's - should not have been approved.

Dr Cooper says monitoring of certifiers was inadequate.

"The safeguards for mitigating improper influence in the development application exemption and development application merit track assessment processes for single dwellings need to be strengthened in accordance with the recommendations made," she said.

"Safeguards are important as the ACT's complex planning framework and discretionary decision-making powers provide the opportunity for improper influence to occur."

Dr Cooper made 14 recommendations including conducting departmental audits of decisions by certifiers exempting developments from planning conditions.

She also called for greater transparency in decision making, with better documentation of the reasons behind development application rulings.

The Government has accepted all the recommendations.

"I have directed my officers in ESDD (Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate) to implement any necessary changes," Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell said.

"This will include opportunities to improve the practice and process within the planning system."

Jerry Howard from the ACT Master Builders Association says the privatisation of the certifying system has been controversial but returning responsibility to Government departments is not the answer.

"This is not a simple process," he said.

"It's not that prescriptive that anybody can look at something and say this strictly complies because there will be instances where you will have to make some subjective assessments."

Residents want stricter planning checks to prevent future problems

Mike Hettinger from the North Canberra Community Council wants to see stronger checks by planning authorities on building projects listed as exempt.

He cites the example of a house built at O'Connor which upset neighbours who complained they were given little warning of its size and scope.

Residents put in several freedom of information requests to find out more about the development application only to discover the house had deviated from the original plans.

"And because of that ACTPLA then did a retrospective development application," he said.

Mr Hettinger says the fact the residents had to point out problems signifies a real issue with the exemption system.

"As far as we know, and as far as we can see, a certificate of occupancy was issued for this particular house and it still hasn't met all the approval criteria that was specified in the development application.

"It should not have been exempted, that's right, and we do not know how often this is happening elsewhere."

The report notes almost 70 per cent of projects use the exemption process.

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