o
Private open space requirements are becoming unrealistic compared with modern housing design - particularly in terms
o
of small lot/integrated housing. Minimum lot size provisions in the former Greater Taree, which restrict dual occupancy development to sites over 750sqm (compared to 600m2 used in other LEPs)
In 2018 amendments were made to planning legislation in NSW to introduce a new layer into the strategic planning hierarchy. This requires councils to prepare a ‘local strategic planning statement’ for
o
Establishing consistent controls for Manufactured Home
their local area, effectively bridging the gap between higher level
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Estates, though the DCP and other mechanisms. General consistency of requirements across the MidCoast.
Strategic Plan with local planning controls set out in LEPs and DCPs.
documents such as the Hunter Regional Plan and Council’s Community
Similarly, there is ongoing work to facilitate a consistent approach to
With a 20-year horizon, the statement will set out the long-term vision
other critical policies and controls. This includes a new Development Assessment Framework (DAF) which directly impacts on lot size requirements for areas that have on-site sewage management systems.
for land use in the local area, identifying the special values and
Continuing to develop harmonised controls, identifying inconsistencies and refining efforts moving forward will be essential over coming years.
but will inform changes to be made to these planning documents over
Recommended Actions
actions being monitored and reported on over time.
6.2.1
6.2.2
6.2.3
Establish a process for harmonising key development policies and assessment systems establishing best practice and responding to market trends. In particular the MidCoast DCP needs to reflect the revised use of residential zones, and add necessary criteria to enable effective assessment. Consider opportunities for the creation of an industry review body that can regularly meet and provide input to land use planning policy as new LEP / DCP and associated documents are developed (i.e. during preparation). Consider opportunities to retain the above, or a similar group to provide longer-term feedback to Council once the new frameworks are in place. This would inform policy-based changes through regular "LEP housekeeping" or similar processes so that Council’s LEP and DCP evolve and remain relevant.
MidCoast HOUSING STRATEGY
character of the local area to be preserved and how change will be managed into the future. The statement will not replace LEPs or DCPs time. The statement is also an "actions-based" document, with resulting There is no prescribed process for creating the statement, though an example version was developed and released by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in February 2019. The local strategic planning statement provides an opportunity to create an overarching planning vision within which the MidCoast LEP, DCP and other planning documents can be considered.
Recommended Actions 6.3.1
Develop a MidCoast Local Strategic Planning Statement with a view to providing overarching long-term direction to strategic planning initiatives including the integration of findings from the Housing Strategy.
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