LEP/DCP Discussion Paper

Community and Stakeholder Engagement Report

Building a new planning framework

Good planning is all about looking ahead and ensuring we have the housing, infrastructure, services and environment to support our lives now and for the future.

Over the next two years we will be working with our community to bring together our current local planning controls to create one new planning framework that will guide and manage future development in the Northern Beaches.

Our planning framework is made up of a Local Environmental Plan (LEP) which is used to control development of land in a Local Government Area and a Development Control Plan (DCP) which provides detailed local planning and design guidelines to support the planning controls in the LEP.

A new LEP and DCP for the Northern Beaches will provide our community with a clearer, simpler and fairer set of planning rules.

We started this process in 2020 with the release of our Local Strategic Planning Statement – Towards 2040 which outlines the future vision for the Northern Beaches and our commitment to a sustainable future. Towards 2040 is one of the building blocks in the new planning framework that integrates regional directions set by the Greater Sydney Commission and the community priorities identified in our Community Strategic Plan – Shape 2028.

Early in 2021 we engaged on the Northern Beaches Local Housing Strategy which was adopted by Council at its meeting in April 2021. The strategy has been forwarded to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for final approval.

A discussion paper on key LEP/DCP issues was exhibited for comment between Friday 25 June and Sunday 5 September 2021. We are currently reviewing all 380 submissions with the aim to release a summary report to the public upon completion of that work.

Our Draft Northern Beaches Environment Study identifies areas of the natural environment to protect, clearly states why it should be protected and defines opportunities for improvement of the natural and built environment. It was exhibited between 10 December 2021 and 27 February 2022. Feedback received during consultation is being reviewed and will be considered in the drafting of our LEP/DCP.

In the coming months we will be releasing the Conservation Zones Review and related supporting studies. This work was delayed due to the postponed Council elections and recent legislative changes including the Employment zones reform and subsequent renaming of Environment zones as Conservation zones.

Learn more and find out how you can get involved below. You can also click the +Follow button in the banner above to stay up-to-date as we continue to build a new planning framework.

Consultation opportunities coming soon

Technical studies and reviews

A series of technical studies and reviews are now underway and will be released throughout 2021.

This study will provide a high-level strategy and vision for employment lands across the Northern Beaches, identify opportunities for job and economic growth in the LGA and provide precinct-specific directions and land use planning principles.

The Northern Beaches Employment Study – Background Report was a review of the current policy landscape, socioeconomic profile, and general economic trends and drivers to identify a number of challenges and opportunities. These will be further tested and refined during the development of the Employment Study.

The background report was made available as supporting documentation during the exhibition of the Northern Beaches Local Strategic Planning Statement – Towards 2040 in late 2019.

This study will provide an overarching analysis of social infrastructure supply, demand, type, quality and trends in the Northern Beaches, to assist Council in aligning growth and infrastructure over the next 20 years.

The Northern Beaches Social Infrastructure Study - Issues and Opportunities Background Paper provides an overview of existing social infrastructure in the Northern Beaches that will inform the preparation of this study.

This study will assess local character across the Local Government Area, identify important scenic and cultural landscapes, capture community aspirations for the future character of places in the Northern Beaches. It will also recommend how local character can be considered in the new planning framework.

The Environment Study identifies areas of the natural environment to protect, clearly state why it should be protected and define opportunities for improvement of the natural environment and the built environment.

The Background Paper – Planning for our Environment identifies the environmental values of the Northern Beaches across six identified environmental priorities.

The background paper was made available as supporting documentation during the exhibition of the Northern Beaches Local Strategic Planning Statement – Towards 2040 in late 2019.

This study will review and analyse existing current built form planning controls across the LGA and prepare guiding principles and place-based built form controls to be used to inform the new Northern Beaches Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan.

The Conservation Zones Review will help us establish which land areas are included in, or excluded from, Environmental Zones. It will also identify a criteria, proposed land uses and include mapping of proposed zones.

* Please note that recent Employment Zone reform has resulted in the renaming of Environmental Zones to conservation zones.

As of 1 December 2021, a reference to an Environment Protection zone E1, E2, E3 or E4 in a document should be taken to be a reference to a Conservation zone C1, C2, C3 or C4. For further information please see Standard Instrument (Local Environmental Plans) Amendment (Land Use Zones) Order 2021 (nsw.gov.au)

This assessment will deliver risk-informed land use planning controls having regard to the extent and potential impact of bushfire in the Deferred Lands.

This will review and report on existing environmental information and undertake flora and fauna surveys and associated reporting in the Deferred Lands.

This is a review of Council’s existing biodiversity planning provision. It will make recommendations for new planning controls to protect biodiversity across the LGA.

The review will also develop consolidated and updated biodiversity spatial layers to be adopted in the new planning framework.

This project will review Council’s existing riparian zones and planning controls and make recommendations to inform the development of a more consistent approach to watercourse and riparian protection through provisions in the new LEP and DCP.

This study will analyse the extent of coastal inundation on properties located along the foreshores of Cottage Point at Cowan Creek. Estuarine planning levels will be determined for each hazard affected property and applied as a method of managing flooding risk to those properties. Coastal inundation is an existing risk as well as a future risk. Sea level rise will have an impact on coastal inundation levels in the future. As a part of the study, sea level rise analysis will be undertaken to understand how the risk may increase in the future and thereby better inform the calculation of estuarine planning levels.

This study will analyse the extent of coastal inundation on properties located along the foreshores of North Harbour and Middle Harbour. Estuarine planning levels will be determined for each hazard affected property and applied as a method of managing flooding risk to those properties. Coastal inundation is an existing risk as well as a future risk. Sea level rise will have an impact on coastal inundation levels in the future. As a part of the study, sea level rise analysis will be undertaken to understand how the risk may increase in the future and thereby better inform the calculation of estuarine planning levels.

This project assesses the risk of land use impact on waterways.

It will make recommendations for new planning controls to protect water quality from the impact of stormwater. It will also recommend management responses such as water quality treatment.

Developments of different scale and type pose a variety of geotechnical associated risks (landslip, groundwater etc.) depending on the land on which the development will be located.

This study will analyse the geotechnical (in ground) condition of land within the Local Government Area for the purpose of determining specific controls and requirements for future development applications.

This will ensure due diligence appropriate for the development type and location is undertaken by applicants prior to lodging development applications whilst also providing council with the necessary information to evaluate the suitability of the application with respect to geotechnical risks.

See how the all the planning documents fit together open in new window

Learn more about the planning building blocks

Timeline

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Late 2018: LEP Review and Health Check

    Reported to Council and submitted to NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Mar 2020: Local Strategic Planning Statement finalised

    Made and adopted by Council, supported by the Greater Sydney Commission

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Aug 2020: Local Housing Strategy - online focus groups

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    Aug - Sep 2020: Environmental Zones - online focus groups

    Expressions of interest closed

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Jan - Mar 2021: Draft Local Housing Strategy

    Public exhibition.

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    Apr 2021 - Local Housing Strategy adopted by Council

    The strategy has been issued to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for final approval.

  • Timeline item 7 - complete

    Jun 2021: Discussion Paper released

    Opportunity for the community to discuss key elements of Council’s zoning framework.

  • Timeline item 8 - complete

    Dec 2021 - Feb 2022: Draft Environment Study exhibited

  • Timeline item 9 - incomplete

    Mid 2022 - Character and Environmental Studies finalised

    Opportunity for the community to comment on the Conservation Zones Review and associated environmental studies. Targeted engagement on the Local Character Study will carried out with community groups prior to formal exhibition in 2023.

  • Timeline item 10 - incomplete

    Late 2022: Draft LEP / DCP report to Council

    Seeking Council endorsement of the draft LEP / DCP and to seek a Gateway Determination from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

  • Timeline item 11 - incomplete

    2023: Draft LEP / DCP statutory exhibition

    Formal public exhibition of the draft LEP and DCP following issue of a Gateway Determination from the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

  • Timeline item 12 - incomplete

    2023/2024: Council adopts final LEP and DCP

  • Timeline item 13 - incomplete

    2023/2024: LEP gazetted and DCP commenced

    DPIE gazettes new LEP following drafting by Legal Counsel, and Council makes DCP commence by formal notification.

Contact us

Have questions or want to learn more about a project, contact us below:

Name Carla Davies
Phone 8495 6268
Email LEP@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au