Pre-Application Meetings (PAM)

General (per meeting) - $255.00

Complex (per meeting) - $1,180.00

State Significant Developments defined by Division 4.7 section 4.36 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (per meeting) - $2,940.00

For more information, contact the Gateway Planning Team on (02) 5300 6000.

Council officers cannot confirm or guarantee support for any proposed variations to planning policies, controls or guidelines during a pre-application meeting (PAM).

Any proposed variations will be considered as part of a detailed assessment once a development application is formally lodged.

If you are seeking a variation, Council officers will advise you of the supporting information required to accompany your application.

Please refer to the Request a PAM form for details on the information you need to include with your submission.

Note: The more detail you provide about your proposal, the more useful and targeted our advice will be. We are unable to provide feedback on ideas or concepts introduced during the meeting. Please ensure your plans and supporting documents are prepared in advance, so our officers can review any key issues beforehand.

Pre-application meetings (PAMs) are normally scheduled for one hour.

If your proposal is complex or further discussion is needed, Council officers may recommend a second PAM to address issues raised in the initial meeting.

Meetings are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In order to provide a consistent and efficient service for all applicants, Blacktown City Council conducts all Pre-Application Meetings via Microsoft Teams.

This approach offers a number of benefits, including:

1. Greater access to Council's technical specialists, allowing Planning, Engineering and other relevant officers to participate regardless of their work location.
   
   
2. Improved scheduling flexibility, enabling meetings to be arranged more promptly and reducing delays associated with coordinating multiple attendees.
   
   
3. Convenience for applicants and consultants by removing travel time and allowing participation from any location.

Council's flexible meeting format also helps ensure that key staff can attend and provide timely advice to support your proposal.

We appreciate your understanding and look forward to meeting with you via Microsoft Teams.

We will contact you within 5 business days of receiving your booking request.

Meeting times will depend on the complexity of your proposal and the availability of relevant Council officers. We will schedule your PAM as soon as possible after reviewing your submission.

Pre-application meetings (PAMs) are held virtually via Microsoft Teams.

A maximum of five representatives may attend on behalf of the applicant. To help the meeting run smoothly, we recommend nominating one spokesperson to lead the discussion.

You can speak briefly with the Duty Town Planner to discuss key aspects of your proposal before lodging a PAM request.

To contact the Duty Planner:

• Call (02) 5300 6000 during office hours, or

• Visit the Gateway Counter on the ground floor of the Civic Centre, between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday.

Note: Only general planning advice can be provided over the phone or at the counter.

When your Microsoft Teams meeting is booked, relevant and experienced Council officers will attend based on the nature of your proposal.

Depending on the issues involved, this may include:

• Town Planners

• Civil Engineers

• Traffic Management Officers

• Waste Management Officers

• Environmental Health Officers

• Building Surveyors

• City Architect

• Biodiversity Officers

• Other specialist officers, as required

All pre-application meetings (PAMs) are treated as commercial-in-confidence.

A Council officer will attend your meeting to take notes. After the meeting, you will receive a written report summarising the matters discussed.

We aim to provide your PAM report within 15 business days. This will be emailed to the address provided on your booking request form.

The report will include a summary of the matters discussed during the meeting, along with other relevant information to help you prepare your development application.

Your proposed development or site may be classified as integrated development under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021, or it may involve matters that require input from other government authorities under various NSW legislation.

You are strongly encouraged to seek early advice from any relevant external authority before booking a pre-application meeting (PAM).

Below are links to key external government and regulatory authorities that may be involved in the assessment of your proposal:

• NSW Department of Planning and Environment

• NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS)

• NSW Department of Education

• WaterNSW

• NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA)

• Transport for NSW (TfNSW)

• Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR)

• NSW Police Force

• TransGrid

• Endeavour Energy

• Sydney Water