Northern Beaches Council is reviewing its Compliance and Enforcement Policy, which outlines council’s approach to compliance and enforcement linked to urban development.
Currently, council receives community enquiries regarding non-compliant or unauthorised works, allegations of illegal usage of premises, pollution concerns or unsafe condition reports. At present, each customer concern is managed in three distinct stages. The first is a preliminary assessment, followed by an investigation into the specific concern, followed by enforcement where necessary.
Each enquiry is managed on a sliding scale dependent on urgency, which is determined using a ‘risk-based approach,’ which allows council to ‘prioritise resources in order to address critical matters promptly.’
The policy is subject to review on a three-yearly basis and has recently been revised, with changes aimed at strengthening council’s approach to compliance under a risk-based framework, alongside improvements to the method used to assign priority to each enquiry. Other changes relate to how investigations are undertaken and the role of private certifiers.
Comments on the proposed policy changes can be made through the council’s Have Your Say section of its website.