Why DA Next Door?

I’m a qualified town planner and fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, with over 35 years’ experience under my belt. Although I’ve been involved in all kinds of planning work, over the last decade or so I’ve worked exclusively in development assessment and dispute resolution, including a great many appeals before the Land and Environment Court. I’ve worked with local and state government as well as the development industry and serve as an expert member on a number of local and regional planning panels.

I’ve witnessed the gap between what the community frequently thinks the planning system is about - and the reality, often stemming from the complexity of the system and the confusing language planners use. I’ve also seen the frustration and anxiety among members of the community when confronted with notification of new development proposals. I’m frequently asked to prepare submissions on development applications – work which, for one reason or another I don’t actually do - but in the process of giving some friendly help to friends with neighbour problems on their minds, I seemed to be repeating myself.

I thought, why not just create a website with all that useful information? And so DA Next Door was born. I hope you find it helpful.

Deborah Laidlaw