On 14 December 2020, the Administrator, Dick Persson, adopted the Consolidated LEP and DCP. These are key planning documents that set the rules for development in your neighbourhood.
On 23 November 2016, the first Administrator, Ian Reynolds, decided to begin the process of developing these new plans, having one set of rules for the Central Coast. The Department of Planning indicated that there was no need to go down that path, that “the existing instruments can continue to operate and there has been no directive from the State to undertake consolidation”.
In spite of this, the Administrator decided to proceed. The new Councillors were put in a position of having to play catch up in order to represent the interests of residents and community in this process. This took time and meant delays.
There have been some wins - maintaining the R2 residential minimum lot size in the former Gosford LGA and height limits in the LEP - however, the 2nd Administrator has overturned some of the changes Councillors agreed to.
In adopting the Consolidated LEP/DCP, the Administrator has ignored a lawful resolution of Council.
The State government required each Council to prepare a Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) this year. The deadline for Central Coast was 1 July 2020.
The LSPS sets out the 20-year vision for land-use in the local area, the special character and values that are to be preserved and how change will be managed into the future.
The LSPS presented to Council in June 2020 was not satisfactory—however, Council needed to adopt it as an Interim LSPS to meet the deadline. Council’s decision required that a final LSPS would come back to Council by the end of November 2020.
Councillors recognised that it was important to ensure that the new planning rules were consistent with the final 20-year vision, the LSPS. In March 2020, it was agreed that the Consolidated LEP / DCP would only come back to Council after the LSPS was finalised.
These decisions of Council still stand and have not been rescinded. They have not been complied with. It appears that there has been no regard to these lawful resolutions of Council.