Central Coast Council has reached an important milestone with the adoption on December 14 of the consolidated region-wide Central Coast Local Environmental Plan (CCLEP) and Development Control Plan (CCDCP).
The region-wide plans will help alleviate planning complexities and inconsistencies and create certainty for residents and the local development industry.
Since amalgamation the Central Coast has been operating under five different planning instruments each with different planning controls.
Council Director of Environment and Planning, Scott Cox, said formulating a region-wide plan had been a massive undertaking with community participation playing a vital role.
“Over a four year period, Council staff conducted extensive consultation with agencies, the community and councillors, with over 750 public submissions received during the public exhibition period and 345 community members attending face-to-face engagement sessions,” Cox said
“All community submissions and feedback were considered alongside councillor and agency responses with appropriate amendments applied,
“An outcome of consultation activity is a decision to retain a 550m2 minimum lot size where it currently applies in the former Gosford LGA to the R2 Low Density Residential zone, an 8.5m maximum building height in the former Gosford LGA R2 Low Density Residential zone and current DCP 3.1 Floodplain Management controls”.
Cox said the lands identified as Deferred Matters under GLEP 2014 will remain deferred under the CCLEP and be rezoned following the completion of the Environmental Lands Review.
“This will progress as a priority project in early 2021,” he said.
“This will provide the opportunity for additional work and studies to ensure that related impacts have an evidence-basis before appropriate policy settings are recommended.”
While consolidation of the planning instruments creates consistency in the way Council applies its planning controls across the Central Coast, Council has been mindful to not impose a one size fits all approach to development, Cox said.
“We know that what works in some areas of the Coast may not work in others, so this process has retained site specific and town centre controls in many areas, such as Woy Woy, and additional controls and site specific chapters are part of the consolidated DCP.
“This includes the retention of character statements in the former Gosford LGA under the Draft CCDCP.”
Council Administrator Dick Persson said the consolidation was good news for the community, development industry and staff.
“Reaching this goal of having one Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and one Development Control Plan (DCP) puts us on a solid pathway to improve our local environment and encourage investment, create new jobs and quality housing for the growing population of the Central Coast,” Persson said.
For further information on the development of the CCLEP and CCDEP go to yourvoiceourcoast.com.
Source:
Media release, Dec 14
Central Coast Council