We Analysed 853 Waverley Panel Decisions. Here's What Gets Approved

The Waverley planning panel overrides the assessing officer just 3.4% of the time.

853 decisions. 29 divergences. Your panel hearing matters — but the officer's recommendation, formed before the panel meets, matters more.

We structured every panel decision Waverley's LPP has made since 2017. Here's what nobody tells you about how planning approvals actually work:

→ 76% of all panel applications get approved. The system isn't as hostile as the rejections make it feel.

→ Clause 4.6 variations have a 93% success rate — largely because applications that invoke them tend to be professionally prepared with formal justifications and objectives testing.

→ Refusal rates dropped from 39% in 2017 to under 9% in 2024. The panel is learning, and so are applicants.

→ Bigger projects don't get refused more. They get approved with modifications. The panel manages impact, not blocks it.

The practical takeaway: invest in the assessment phase, not the presentation. The data says that's where outcomes are decided.