What is the Community Participation Plan?

    The Community Participation Plan (CPP) provides the community with a clear process of how and when Council will engage with the community in relation to proposed development and plan making across the Shire, including mandatory requirements for public exhibition in relation to its planning functions.

    The aim of community participation is to gather feedback from the community on key strategic planning documents, planning proposals, and development applications, to inform the decision-making process of Council’s relevant planning panel.

    The CPP meets the legislative requirements of community participation under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (the Act) and aims to enable genuine and effective opportunities for the community to participate in Council’s strategic plan making and the development application process.

    What changes are being proposed?

    In the October Council Meeting, Council resolved to support changes that relate to minor, low-risk, complying development applications. This will reduce time and costs associated with these development applications. 

    Complex applications and those that are sensitive or involve potential significant impacts will continue to be publicly exhibited.

    The following changes are proposed to the Community Participation Plan: 

    • Residential and small scale development in new subdivisions

    In new subdivisions, no information letters or formal notification will be required for residential and small scale development within 5 years of the registration of the deposited plan. This applies to any new subdivision where a deposited plan was registered in 2018 and onwards.

    • All development applications are amended during the assessment process and S4.55 modification applications

    Where there is an increased environmental impact and determined necessary by Council the application will be notified for 7 days, unless otherwise required by the EP & A Act.

    • See table attached for a list of minor developments that do not require notification, as long as the criteria on the right is met.

    What about changes in the future?

    Council will, at a later date, undertake a further review of the CPP to ensure its alignment with the Act. This may include:

    • Amending the CPP to reflect recent changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, 1979, in particular the amendments which no longer require Council to advertise a Development Application or Draft Development Control Plan and the like in a Local Newspaper but rather publish on the Council’s website.
    • As a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic, a requirement that any document to be made available for inspection (however described) at a physical location is satisfied if the document is instead made available on the NSW planning portal or any other website approved by the Planning Secretary. This arrangement currently applies until 25 March, 2021.