A draft document which streamlines the MidCoast Local Environmental Plan (LEP) has received a glowing endorsement from councillors.
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Paul Sandilands went as far as describing the draft MidCoast LEP as a brilliant piece of work.
The draft paper, which will replace the Great Lakes, Gloucester and Greater Taree LEPs, has been placed on public exhibition for community comment and consultation until early July.
The draft MidCoast LEP aims to provide one set of planning controls for the Mid-Coast, MidCoast Council land use and planning manager, Michael Griffith reported to councillors attending the May ordinary meeting.
A planning proposal for the draft MidCoast LEP was endorsed by councillors at the October 30, 2023 ordinary meeting.
Following the meeting a gateway determination was sought from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, Mr Griffith said.
He said given the document would result in changes to the land use zones and development controls for large areas of the Mid-Coast, consultation was critical.
"The consultation will provide the community with the opportunity to seek further information and provide any feedback."
When Paul Sandilands was elected to council he learned the amalgamated council still had three distinctly difference LEPs.
"For example, some council areas had a tree preservation order, others didn't," he said.
"So if you're on that side of the line you can pull a tree down, and if you're on the other you couldn't cut a tree down."
He congratulated professional staff who had worked for many years on the draft, walking councillors through the process and working towards an all encompassing document.
Seven years of consistent work, including consultation with the community almost feels like an anticlimax following its release, Jeremy Miller said.
He applauded staff on their work, who had also received a highly commended award from the state government for the consultation processes with the community.
Bringing those council areas all together has been a huge body of work.
- Jeremy Miller
"This basically means we have a brilliant tick from the state government to go to the next stage," Cr Miller said.
He said the draft LEP defined everything that can be done on every block of land throughout the LGA.
"Bringing those council areas all together has been a huge body of work and modernising, like freeing up what people can do on their farms to supplement their farming income.
"So from here council is going through a huge consultation process and I encourage people to get involved.
"You will be seeing through Facebook how to get involved in the next step and finding out what you can and can't do in your zone under the LEP."
"I can indeed remember my first days of council when we first started debating this issue; it seems a long time ago," mayor Claire Pontin said.
"There has been an enormous amount of work done since then and I would like to add the fact that there are going to be some mapping tools available that people will be able to look at on screen and call up their property and look at exactly what is being proposed."