15613 Development Assessment

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Institute for Public Policy and Governance
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Postgraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Anti-requisite(s): 49463 Development Control

Description

This subject outlines the basic building blocks of development control, ranging from the legal framework and planning instruments and policies, to specific elements of the assessment process and planning principles from the Land and Environment Court. It is designed to complement experience at work and on-the-job training for support staff and those relatively new to the field of development assessment, as well as professionals, such as engineers, building surveyors and environmental officers who work with urban planners and are seeking a deeper understanding of the planning system. This subject provides essential knowledge and skills for effective professional practice, balancing planning law and policy with local strategic outcomes to complete merits-based assessment.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1.	Articulate the legal frameworks in which planning decisions are made, and their impacts: History of strategic planning, development and subdivision law in New South Wales as well as national and international law.
2.	Analyse planning instruments such as development control policies, LEP’s and DCP’s, merits based and prescriptive codes and assessment and the outcomes delivered.
3.	Apply the application and approvals process from pre-lodgement to post approval stage.
4.	Evaluate merit assessment: Heads of consideration, determining key issues and impacts, stakeholder views, weighting key issues, public domain works, applying conditions of consent utilising key examples and worked case studies, considering conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
5.	Analyse sources of conflict, approaches for dispute resolution, the role of the Land and Environment Court including procedures, planning principles and case law.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

Ability to reflect on personal views and values, debrief on practice and articulate the impact of these actions on professional judgement and practice (A.2)
Ability to present, and invite feedback on, complex arguments and ideas (C.1)
Understanding of sources of conflict and ability to apply conflict negotiation strategies appropriately (C.2)
Ability (to apply urban design principles) to develop creative merits based on solutions for the built and natural environment (I.2)
Ability to locate and understand the legislation and regulation relevant to the built and natural environment (P.2)
Ability to use evidence-based research to support and develop coherent and logically structured arguments that underpin decisions. (R.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject comprises intensive workshops run in block mode with two blocks over five days (3+2) in total, offered on-campus and an external field trip. Students will undertake pre-course work for three weeks before the first scheduled block of teaching. They will explore links, undertake readings and participate in online activities in preparation for the workshop sessions.

Face-to-face classes incorporate a range of teaching and learning strategies including lectures and peer-to-peer learning through in-class group discussion, interactive presentations, cases studies, expert guest practitioners, scenarios and facilitated workshops with ongoing formative feedback. The sessions are designed to increase knowledge building, provoke participatory discussions and encourage critical thinking. A field trip is also incorporated to give practical exposure and provoke further discussion relating to the complex information being presented. Pre-reading links and materials will be posted online prior to the course. The evaluative summative assessments enable the teaching staff to make administrative decisions about the effectiveness of the teaching sessions and the ability for students to achieve the learning outcomes.

Coursework

The course has two written assessment tasks to support the learning objectives of this subject. Short course students have a choice whether to submit the two assessment tasks and receive a Certificate of Attainment or just attend the course and receive a Certificate of Attendance.

Assessment 1 is in two parts and relates to Days 1 and 2 of the course with a 1000 word written response for each question selected from Group One and Group Two. The assessments draw on research and subsequent understanding related to the NSW Planning system, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, the Community Strategic Plan and the Local Environmental Plan.

Assessment Task 2 is the preparation of a Development Application Assessment Report with a level of complexity that challenges current level of experience and knowledge.

Feedback

Feedback will be provided during the learning process along with group discussion, case studies and group work furthering engagement in inquiry and the exploration of different perspectives. Summative feedback is provided with all assessed work and is published along with indicative grades online.

Content (topics)

The subject blends planning history, theory, practice and key principles with case studies presented by expert practitioners.

1. The strategic planning framework:

History of planning
Role of the planner, ethics and values
Strategic planning process
Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Act, Local Government (LG) Act community strategic plans (CSP's) and other relevant legislation

2. Development assessment process framework:

Stages and steps

3. Development assessment practice:

Merits assessment
Working with other experts

4. Development assessment practice:

Urban design language and public domain analysis and evaluation
Case studies

5. Land and Environment Court (LEC):

Case law/Court judgements
Planning principles
Class 1 and Class 4; merits vs process
Planning panel reports workshop

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Report

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1 and 2

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, P.2 and R.1

Type:

Report

Groupwork:

Individual

Weight:

40%

Length:

2000 words

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
The context within which urban planning and development assessment emerged is explored.	20	1	P.2
Evidence of ability to draw on relevant legislation and regulation and evaluate the relevance to topic being explored	20	1	P.2
Evidence of use of research as an evidence base to support the development of structured arguments.	20	2	R.1
Material referenced supports the student to develop coherent and logically structured arguments and provides evidence of broadened thinking.	20	1	P.2
Report is well written and structured.	20	1	C.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Development Assessment Report