Local Environmental Plan Review

Local Environmental Plan Review - Woollahra Council

Woollahra Municipal Council
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DiscussionWoollahra's new LEP

Council is undertaking a major review of its planning controls to help ensure Woollahra remains a sustainable and vibrant place to live, work and enjoy. This review of our planning controls will result in the preparation of a new local environmental plan (LEP) that will apply to the whole Woollahra local government area.

An LEP is the principal legal document for determining land use and controlling development at the local level, using land use zones, development standards and other planning provisions. They are created by councils to control the form and location of new development, along with protecting open space and environmentally sensitive areas.

The new LEP will replace Council’s existing LEP, the Woollahra Local Environmental Plan 1995, and will provide a guide to development in Woollahra over its 7-10 year life.

  • Why is Council producing a new LEP?
    • This project is being undertaken in response to planning reforms initiated by the NSW Government in 2006. Under the planning reform agenda all councils in NSW are required to prepare a new LEP based on a standardised format known as the Standard Instrument.

      For further information see Background to the project.

  • How is Council approaching the preparation of the new LEP?
    • Council has established a clear direction for preparing the new LEP, which is to:
      • Take a 'translation approach' by maintaining similar planning controls where possible for most of the municipality.
      • Simplify our planning controls. For example, tailoring controls for specific types of development such as houses and flats.
      • Address any inconsistencies between our current LEP and the new LEP.
      Reports presented to Council about the LEP review so far can be seen under Council reports and links.

  • Where are we up to?
    • Council is in the preliminary stages of preparing the new LEP, prior to seeking approval to exhibit a draft LEP for consultation. Council has been consulting with public authorities and other persons under section 62 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. This has included focused consultation with local residents on proposed planning control changes for 24 opportunity sites.

      Council has finished preliminary consultation with the local residents about changes proposed in the opportunity sites. Over 500 submissions were received to the proposed changes, however, further consideration of the opportunity sites has been deferred. Council will instead focus on translating our current LEP to a standardised format known as the Standard Instrument. See the News section below for more information.

      The Draft LEP will then be placed on formal exhibition. The NSW Government timeframe for having the Woollahra LEP approved has been adjusted to June 2012.

      The flowchart (PDF, 20 KB) illustrates the LEP making process, and also identifies our progress on the project to date.

News

Work on opportunity sites deferred

As part of the preparation of the Draft Woollahra Principal Local Environmental Plan (LEP) Council has consulted with the community about opportunities for additional dwellings on specific sites within the municipality.

On 11 July 2011 Council’s Urban Planning Committee considered a report on correspondence (PDF) received from the Department of Planning and Infrastructure about the opportunity site process and its role in preparing the Draft Principal LEP.

A Council meeting was then held on 25 July 2011 at which Council resolved to defer consideration of the proposed planning control changes for the remaining opportunity sites and any suggested new sites unless “strong and supportable reasons” are provided. 

The NSW Government still requires Council to provide opportunities for additional dwellings, but will allow this process to occur in stages after the Principal LEP has been completed.  Further public consultation will occur at that time.

Prior to this decision Council considered the submissions on three opportunity sites and decided:

  1. To include the proposed planning control changes in the draft new LEP for sites 1A: 1-7 Hopetoun Avenue, 22A-24 New South Head Road and 1 Petrarch Avenue, Vaucluse and 1B: 77 New South Head Road, Vaucluse. 
  2. To proceed with a separate planning proposal to amend the planning controls in the Woollahra LEP 1995 for Site 8: 9A Cooper Park Road, Bellevue Hill.

For more information, all Council reports and resolutions regarding this project are available under Council reports and links.