Following approval by the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Lithgow Council has announced that the Planning Proposal for Draft Lithgow Local Environmental Plan 2013 is on public exhibition commencing 20 June and going through until 9 August 2013.
“This is one of the most important matters that Council and the community will consider and I urge all ratepayers, landowners, developers, investors and community groups alike to review this Plan and make comment within the exhibition period,” said Lithgow City Council Mayor, Councilor Maree Statham.
The Planning Proposal is the next step in the making of a new Local Environmental Plan for the Lithgow Local Government Area (LGA). “The Planning Proposal aims to implement a Standard Instrument across the Local Government Area that will replace the Lithgow Local Environmental Plan and Rylstone Local Environmental Plan which partly applies to our area. It will also implement Council’s key strategic directions arising from the Lithgow Land Use Strategy (LUS) adopted in 2012” added Mayor Statham.
A Local Environmental Plan (LEP) is a legal document prepared by Council and approved by the State Government to regulate land use and development. LEPs guide planning decisions for local governments. The plan will allow Council to regulate the ways in which all land both private and public may be used and protected through zoning and development controls.
Mayor Statham added “The Plan may affect everyone in the community in some way. Generally the zoning of land will have a new name and in some cases may have changed entirely. The range of permitted land uses may have also changed. Simply, if you plan to develop or subdivide your land or alter the way in which you use your land then the Draft LEP may affect you.”
The Draft Planning Proposal for the new LEP will be on public exhibition for a period of fifty (50) days, being much longer than the period required by law. Within this period Council will have on public display a range of material designed to assist the community in understanding of the Plan. Council will also be holding a number of open house information sessions at Lithgow, Wallerawang, Portland, Capertee and Hartley. Anyone interested in finding out more about the Plan can come along at any time during these sessions, view the information and also speak to a Council Planner.
Council Planners will also be available to speak directly to interested people either by telephone or by appointment at other times during the exhibition period. An online question form is also available for persons to submit question/s on line and receive reply via email.
Council has established a dedicated website page for the exhibition of the draft plan at www.lithgow.com/lep/ as well as static displays at Council’s town libraries and Councils Administration Centre. Further information can be obtained by contacting Council’s Strategic Planning Team on 0263549906 or 0263549920 or via email at lep@lithgow.nsw.gov.au
Council will be receiving written submissions up until 9 August, 2013.
Development of Council’s new Local Environmental Plan underpins Council’s overarching vision in the Community Strategic Plan 2025, to effectively and efficiently manage our environment, community and economy for present and future generations.
This is the link to the dedicated Council Web Page: http://www.lithgow.com/lep/index.html
Probably the quickest and easiest way to access and digest this vast amount of information is by the tabled information summary, or Land Use Matrix
Those currently living in the recently developed Rural Residential small acreages will soon have their zonings renamed Large Lot Residential. This name has some rather urban connotations, but the definition of the new zoning is somewhat less threatening than it first appears. A Fact Sheet has been produced to explain these changes and define all Residential Zones in the Draft LEP.
There is also a Fact Sheet on Rural Zones within the LEP, there having been changes made here too
and on Environmental Protection Zones, that will be of interest.
on Heritage Items, Places and Heritage Conservation Areas
There are, in fact, many Fact Sheets simplifying the task of wading through the entire document to make it possible to focus on specific areas of interest covered in the Draft LEP.
Summarising What is New in this Draft LEP will help provide an overall view of the changes that are proposed.
All these Fact Sheets are available on the Lithgow Council LEP Website.
Submissions will be accepted up until 9th August, 2013
