The new state-wide Community Participation Plan has been finalised and your concerns have been heard loud and clear and actioned in the new CPP. Significant wins include:
- residential flat buildings and shop top housing development types will remain subject to a minimum 14-day exhibition instead of being excluded from exhibition
- state significant projects will be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days
- exhibition timeframes for draft district and regional plans and local strategic planning statements have increased to a legislated minimum of 60 days
- council related developments will be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days instead of being excluded from exhibition
- planning proposals which amend LEPs, as well as draft DCPs, will be exhibited for a minimum of 28 days
- minimum exhibition timeframes have been retained instead of recommended timeframes
- a reduced list of supposedly lower impact development types that will not require exhibition
- works on heritage buildings are no longer exempt from public exhibition
- alterations to schools and community/health/education infrastructure are no longer exempt from public exhibition
- the requirement that submitters must lodge submissions before the close of the exhibition period has been removed and feedback can now be provided to the consent authority at any stage of an application. “Submissions and feedback will be taken into account” during assessment
Unfortunately, there is still a long list of developments that will be exempt from public exhibition including, bizarrely, bed and breakfast accommodation; as well as dwelling houses and dual occupancy up to two storeys; multi dwelling and attached dwelling up to 5 dwellings; secondary dwellings; subdivision of land resulting in no more than 5 new lots and, even more bizarrely subdivision of land that is subject to an existing development consent for its current use. Plus sadly, tree removal on private land.
Overall though, an overwhelmingly positive outcome for all of the 1000+ submitters that cared enough to make their voices heard. Never let it be said that you don’t make a difference because you certainly do.
The finalised Community Participation Plan can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-04/community-participation-plan.pdf
And the rather cursory 6-page summary of submissions –
Leave a Reply