State environmental planning policies to be simplified

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast, Mr Scot MacDonald MLC, has asked Central Coast residents to help simplify the planning system through a review of state environmental planning policies.

“There are currently 66 state environmental planning policies that outline the NSW Government’s approach to dealing with specific planning issues,” Mr MacDonald said. “Some of these policies need to be updated or are now implemented by Council planning rules.” Mr MacDonald said the review seeks to reduce duplication of a number of existing rules and simplify the planning system for the Central Coast. “The Department is reviewing these policies to look at how they can be simplifi ed or reduced to remove unnecessary duplication or red-tape for the community and business, while making the system easier to navigate,” Mr MacDonald said. “In some cases, these policies can be easily transferred and are better managed at a local council level, while still preserving the intent of the policy.” Mr MacDonald said the review ensured any changes would maintain environmental requirements that currently applied and would not reduce the level of accountability afforded through the planning process. Community feedback on the proposal is invited over the coming weeks. According to Mr MacDonald, the following policies are proposed to be repealed because their provisions have been either superseded or transferred to other relevant plans. The Urban Consolidation State Environmental Planning Policy has been replaced by other policy and programs to facilitate urban renewal including the Urban Renewal SEPP, Priority Precincts Program and the subregional and regional planning processes. The provisions in the Rural Landsharing Communities which allow collective ownership of a single parcel of land will be changed to an optional locally specific clause in each local environmental plan.

Media release, 11 June 2015 Mitchell Cutting, Offi ce of Scot MacDonald MLC