3.6. Strategic Planning

In March 2018, amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) introduced new requirements for councils to prepare a Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS). The Act recognises the critical role of councils in strategic planning for their local area.

Each council is preparing an LSPS to set out the 20-year vision for land-use for their local area. This LSPS outlines how actions in the North Coast Regional Plan and our own priorities in the Community Strategic Plan and other plans, strategies and community aspirations will be implemented through the planning process.

The LSPS will shape how the development controls in the Local Environmental Plan (LEP) evolve over time to meet the community's needs, with the LEP the main tool to deliver the council and community’s plan.

The Regional Plan sits alongside Infrastructure NSW’s State Infrastructure Strategy and Transport for NSW’s Future Transport 2056 which now means that all levels of Government must coordinate implementation and align infrastructure with growth and provides opportunities for up-front strategic planning.

Figure 3 - the 'line of sight' through the planning framework

The Local Strategic Planning Statement sits within the planning ‘hierarchy’ of state, regional and local plans. The LSPS is the final piece of the puzzle that captures how the North Coast Regional Plan applies in the Clarence Valley to ensure we have a strategic plan for the Clarence that generally aligns with the plans and priorities of state government and action at the national and international level, but driven by the needs of our local community.

It helps to ensure we’re all working together and trying to achieve similar outcomes, which helps prioritise funding, resources and get better outcomes for the community and the environment through a more strategic approach to land use planning.

The LSPS is designed to provide clearer direction to the community, to developers, investors, government and decision makers, including Council, about the kind of development and activity that we would like to see happen in the Clarence Valley and the actions needed to help provide that direction.

The LSPS will work together with our other plans and strategies for the Clarence Valley and the wider region.

In particular the Actions of the LSPS and its funding and implementation tie together with our Community Strategic Plan and the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework (IP&R), especially where these interact with land use, and where land use planning has a role in facilitating better outcomes or specific Actions for the Councils Operational Plan.

Figure 5 - Delivering the operational plan

For example, implementing Councils Economic Development Strategy, or the Clarence River Way masterplan, or our Biodiversity strategy and many other plans and strategies, all rely on strategic decision making with regard to land use, and ensuring that the rules and regulations in our Local Environmental Plan and Development Control