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The Planning Process - Cootamundra's Local Environmental Plan ( LEP )

The NSW planning and development assessment system is the means by which we manage our environment and use of resources.

Legislation

Planning and development is carried out under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

Development assessment

All development proposals in NSW must be assessed to ensure they comply with relevant planning controls and, according to nature and scale, that they are environmentally and socially sustainable.

State, regional and local plans and policies indicate what level of assessment is required, and who is responsible for assessment council, an accredited private professional or the Minister for Planning (the Department assesses proposals for the Minister).

The development assessment system in NSW is set out in Parts 4 and 5 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

The Act ensures that members of the public can participate in decisions that will shape their community's future.

Planning locally

What are local environmental plans?
Local environmental plans prepared by councils, guide planning decisions for a local government area. Through zoning and development controls, they allow councils to supervise the ways in which land is used.

Development control plans provide specific, more comprehensive guidelines for types of development, or small sections of the planned area. Councils can use development control plans to make local planning more detailed, or adopt their own codes. These allow the council to provide specific, more comprehensive planning policies for individual types of development, or particular sections of the local government area.

How is a local environmental plan prepared?
1. The local environmental plan is proposed, by a local council or by the Minister for Planning.
2. The council carries out a local environmental study. This deals with topics like environmental conservation, housing and settlement, and suitable infrastructure development for industry. It allows the council to identify and focus on important issues.
3. The council prepares a draft plan, assisted by general directives from the Minister for Planning. The council then invites the community to comment on the plan, along with the local environmental study.
4. The council considers the comments made by members of the public, and may incorporate them into the draft plan.
5. With the Minister's approval, the plan becomes law and is published in the Government Gazette.

Contact details
Ken Trethewey
02 69402100 (ph)
02 69402127 (fax)
mail@cootamundra.nsw.gov.au

© 2008 Cootamundra Shire Council
This page: http://cootamundra.local-e.nsw.gov.au/planning/2412/4318.html