MEDIA RELEASE 6th November, 2011
Regional planning reaches major milestone A new strategy set to guide the future of development in the Cradle Coast region will also help to simplify planning for home builders, farmers, developers and many more. Chairman of the Cradle Coast Regional Planning Initiative steering committee, Councillor Charles Arnold, said the declaration of the Regional Land Use Strategy last week by the Minister for Planning, Bryan Green, was a significant step. “The Strategy has been created working with the region’s councils since 2009 and will streamline nine current and diverse strategies into one,” Cr Arnold said. “It should see a block of land in Sheffield, Strahan or Grassy receive the same treatment from councils, and fits with the move to simplify planning across Tasmania. “Amid the ongoing debate about reform of local government, this is a clear example of councils working together on a significant and far-reaching renewal of planning. “It is a living document, and can be adapted and updated over the coming two decades in response to the changing needs of local areas, regionally and from a Statewide perspective.” The Strategy is the primary reference for the nine councils in the Cradle Coast region to write new planning schemes with consistency, a process which is already well underway. Cr Arnold said local councils would have the opportunity to cater for specific or unique local characteristics in their own schemes, but otherwise they would be mirrored across the region. The Cradle Coast councils are committed to preparing planning schemes consistent with the regional strategy and the State Government’s recent directions on the form and structure for new schemes and are actively working toward this outcome in the New Year.
Media contact Charles Arnold
Regional Planning Initiative Steering Committee
0428 533 551