Ku-ring-gai Council has written to State Coalition leader Barry O’Farrell and other political leaders seeking swift action on a range of planning and development issues following the March 26 election. Mayor Ian Cross said the letter requested; the winding up of the Ku-ring-gai Planning Panel; the scrapping of the Part 3A State Significant development […]
16 March, 2011
A City of Perth project that encouraged innovative solutions to planning issues was recognised by Planning Institute of Australia. Dubbed, 'What If – Ideas for the City of Perth’, the project won the Minister’s Award at the annual Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) National Awards for Planning Excellence held in Hobart. The ‘What If’ project […]
11 March, 2011
Planning Minister Tony Kelly said projects being funded include the construction of elevated walkways through bushland; a scenic foreshore walk north of Sydney; access steps to a scuba diving location; and an innovative boardwalk over an existing seawall. The funding has been allocated under the Metropolitan Greenspace Program (MGP), an open-space grants program that […]
15 February, 2011
Councils in South Australia have responsded to the appointment of two new State Government ministers. The Local Government Association (LGA) welcomed Bernard Finnigan to the role of State Local Government Relations Minister and John Rau to the role of Minister for Urban Development and Planning. LGA president, Felicity-ann Lewis, paid tribute to outgoing State Local Government […]
8 February, 2011
A planning report commissioned by the NSW Government has revealed that the number of local councils with extreme planning processing times has more than halved. The 2009-10 Local Development Performance Monitoring Report showed ten councils had a mean gross determination time for development applications (Das) of over 100 days in 2009-10 compared with 21 councils […]
8 February, 2011
Minster for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Tony Burke, released on Thursday an issues paper on the Government’s sustainable population strategy and invited feedback from the community. The issues paper brought together the major issues identified in reports by the three independent Sustainable Population Strategy Advisory Panels, which focused on demographic change, liveability, productivity, prosperity and […]
17 December, 2010
Coastal municipalities will be able to identify future impacts of climate change and sea level rise using new maps launched today by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE). Developed in partnership with the Co-operative Research Centre for Spatial Information, the maps use the highest resolution elevation data currently available. The new tool […]
15 December, 2010
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has called for reform of Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. Part 3A planning laws allow the State Government to override local council decisions on major projects. In its report on the exercise of discretion under Part 3A of the Act, the ICAC recommended that the […]
14 December, 2010
The 2010 Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) NSW Planning Excellence Awards recognised the high standard of planning within the local government sector. At the awards ceremony last week, four councils were awarded and six received commendations. Local Government Association (LGA) president Keith Rhoades said the awards highlighted the “innovative work” conducted by councils. “We’re especially pleased […]
8 November, 2010
The New South Wales Government has announced the trial of a new online system for complying development applications. Following the signing of an agreement between the Departments of Planning Technology and Administration, 12 councils and 10 private certifiers were selected to pilot the online processing system. Planning Minister Tony Kelly said the Electronic Housing Code […]
27 October, 2010
The New South Wales Government has created an $11.2 million incentive for councils to complete their local environmental plans (LEPs). Minister for Planning Tony Kelly wrote to councils last week inviting them to apply for funding under the $10 million LEP Acceleration Fund. Mr Kelly said the new LEPs would lay the foundations for the […]
5 October, 2010
The Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW have conditionally welcomed changes to the Coastal Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill, tabled in Parliament last week. Local Government Association president, Genia McCaffery, said the Bill had been considerably amended after the Associations requested more time to consult with councils. "The Coastal Panel now has three […]
27 September, 2010
By Angela Dorizas Councils and developers have welcomed the appointment of Simon Crean and Tony Burke to the two portfolios critical to future planning. Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced over the weekend that Simon Crean would become Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government, while the Minister for Sustainable Population Growth, Tony Burke, […]
14 September, 2010
The New South Wales Government has released landmark guidelines to assist councils and State agencies plan for the impact of sea level rise. Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, said the NSW Coastal Planning Guideline: Adapting to Sea Level Rise would help councils plan for the 600, 000 new residents expected to move to the state’s […]
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