City of Coffs Harbour Council is proposing a raft of changes to how people can utilise their land, including a relaxation of the rules regarding dual occupancies.
Stemming from a five-year review of the Local Environment Plan (LEP) 2013, the Council is seeking to progress a number of amendments to the Plan by way of a planning proposal.
Many of the reforms centre on Zone R5 Large Lot Residential or Zone RU2 Rural Landscape.
“A significant change we’re looking at is removing the requirement for detached dual occupancies to be within 50 metres of one another on rural land and to allow for detached dual occupancies on appropriate large lot residential land,” said Mayor, Nikki Williams.
“This has the potential to unlock greater housing supply which is a challenge for all coastal local governments, including Coffs Harbour.”
The planning proposal would see some incompatible land uses previously permitted with consent no longer in play on large lot residential land.
These include:
- Animal boarding or training establishments
- Camping grounds; and
- Self-storage units.
The Council’s proposal would also provide a framework for low impact farm dams to be classified as exempt from the development approval process.
City Planning and Communities Acting Director, Ian Fitzgibbon said the planning proposal also seeks to facilitate design excellence for development at a number of ‘key sites’ in the Local Government Area, which are in prominent locations.
“The aim here is to ensure that development on these significant sites creates a focal point and adds visual interest to the streetscape,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“We also want to ensure that any development at these locations brings with it better pedestrian connections and is built for human scale – so something which is proportionate, comfortable and accessible for people to interact with.”
The NSW planning legislation requires Councils to undertake regular and periodic reviews of their local environmental plans to ensure they are up to date and consistent with changing requirements.
At its August meeting, Council resolved to initiate the City’s planning proposal for the 5-Year Comprehensive Review of Coffs Harbour LEP and undertake public consultation.
