3. Development Applications

3.1 Assessment under the EP&A Act

Under the EP&A Act, Council’s officers are required to consider the potential impacts associated with the development of land. DAs submitted to Council for unsewered allotments are referred to the On-site Wastewater Management Section for review from an OWM perspective. This may include DAs for new dwellings, subdivisions (including boundary adjustments), rezonings, alterations or additions and changes of use. In some cases, meetings are held with Council’s officers prior to DA submission, which can save the community time and money, especially for proposals involving large, complex developments in environmentally sensitive areas. Where required, EHOs in the On-site Wastewater Management Section attend these meetings to communicate the latest legislative requirements and industry standards for OWM.

3.2 Site & desktop assessments

Council’s EHOs may also complete a site inspection after a DA has been referred to determine the potential impacts of a proposed development on public health and the environment, which can sometimes be difficult to ascertain by only completing a desktop assessment using Council’s mapping and data management systems. Development proposals in aquaculture areas are referred to the Department of Regional NSW (‘the Department’; formally the Department of Primary Industries) in line with State Environmental Planning Policy (Primary Production) 2021 and the NSW Oyster Industry Sustainable Aquaculture Strategy 2021 (Fourth Edition). Because Council’s DA referral procedure has been pivotal in recent years for building stakeholder relationships and solving complex problems at the preliminary stages of development, it will continue as part of this Strategy. Again, the demand this regulatory activity places on existing resources will fluctuate based on a variety of factors.