Meet the Team

Sarah is an Associate in HillPDA’s planning team with approximately fifteen years of experience working in planning and development across metropolitan Sydney and regional NSW. Sarah has gained extensive experience working as a strategic planner in local government, including leadership roles at Cumberland City Council and Blacktown City Council.

Throughout her career, Sarah has developed the ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders including local councils and other government agencies, consultants, local communities and industry to achieve balanced outcomes. She has a solid understanding of the prevailing planning framework and policy context, including proposed NSW planning and contribution reforms; an awareness and understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by local councils and communities across New South Wales; and practical working knowledge of the systems and processes of local government.

Experience includes:

• Site investigations and due diligence to inform investment decisions and potential rezonings
• Preparation of principle Local Environmental Plans (LEP) and Development Control Plans (DCP)
• Assessment and implementation of site-specific planning proposals
• Negotiation and preparation of planning agreements
• Local infrastructure planning and delivery
• Reclassification of public land and acquisition of private land for public purposes
• Preparation and implementation of community engagement strategies
• Preparation of submissions on behalf of landowners, developers, and local councils.

Major projects

• Standard Instrument LEPs and associated DCPs for Blacktown, Pittwater, and Cumberland Councils
• Cumberland 2023: Our Local Strategic Planning Statement
• Wentworthville Town Centre Planning Proposal – Council-led rezoning to implement Planning and Placemaking Strategy
• Fresh Hope Care Planning Proposal – Developer-led rezoning and planning agreement to facilitate redevelopment and expansion of an existing aged care facility
• Lidcombe Rise Planning Proposal – rezoning and planning agreement to facilitate development of the site for a mix of social and affordable housing and supporting land uses
• Review of former Holroyd Council’s capital works program to reprioritise projects to fast-track delivery of essential infrastructure to support growth
• Community engagement for Blacktown LEP and proposal involving acquisition of privately owned land and reclassification of public land from community to operational
• Submissions and reports on the proposed changes to the NSW contributions framework and related IPART reviews on the essential works list and benchmarking costs for local infrastructure, focusing on the likely impacts for Cumberland City Council and its community.

Committees

• Member of the Planning Institute of Australia