Penrith City Council is proposing to amend the Penrith Local Environmental Plan (LEP) 2010 to introduce a clause to ensure the mitigation of the urban heat island effect is considered for new development in the LGA.
Mayor, Tricia Hitchen says the clause would apply to all new development in residential, business, industrial, special purpose, recreation, rural villages and Environmental Living zones.
She said the impacts of urban heat and the need to implement smart strategies to combat scorching hot summers were paramount for Penrith, where the mercury can rise about 45 degrees during the summer months.
On 4 January 2020, Penrith was officially the hottest place on Earth with a temperature of 48.9 degrees. It broke a Bureau of Meteorology temperature record that had been held since 1939.
“As urban development occurs, natural land and vegetation is being replaced with roads, car parks and buildings. These hard surfaces absorb and radiate much more heat and leave little moisture in the ground,” Mayor Hitchen said.
“There’s less opportunity for cooling like it would in a natural landscape.
“Then there’s waste air from air conditioners and heat from vehicle engines. When combined with absorbed heat, it makes urban areas much hotter becoming islands of heat known as the urban heat island effect.”
Council’s Urban Heat Planning Controls Package is on public exhibition until Monday, 7 March 2022.
Council is asking the community to provide feedback and comments by visiting www.yoursaypenrith.com.au/urbanheat or email cityplanning@penrith.city.
Council is also exhibiting a Draft Amendment to the Penrith Development Control Plan (DCP) 2014 that proposes to introduce a new Urban Heat chapter.
The chapter focuses on design responses found to have a significant effect on reducing the impacts of the urban heat island effect, like proposing cool roof colours and materials to reduce heat absorption and increase reflectivity, cooling through building design and optimising mechanical heating and cooling.
There will also be controls to support the retention of existing trees and planting new trees, with a focus on tree numbers, species, irrigation and soil volume.
Council says the Urban Heat Planning Controls Package is complimented by programs being delivered under its Cooling the City Strategy and Resilient Penrith Action Plan.
“Through effective planning design and building measures, we aim to cool our city, making our buildings and outdoor spaces more comfortable, particularly during summer, for people living and working in our City,” Mayor Hitchen said.
