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West Ward of Willoughby

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The NSW Parliament passed amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) in the Local Government Amendment (Governance and Planning) Act 2016. Two changes of relate to State of the Environment reporting & the requirement for a Community Engagement Strategy.

• Community Engagement Strategy: The council must prepare and implement a community engagement strategy based on social justice principles for engagement with the local community in developing and reviewing the Community Strategic Plan following the ordinary local government election. Council is not required to establish and implement a community engagement strategy in accordance with section 402A, as inserted by the amending Act, until 12 months after the next ordinary election of councillors following that amendment.
•  State of the Environment reporting: State of environment reporting is no longer required from the commencement of the new cycle of integrated planning and reporting following the ordinary local government election.

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Check out information on the West Ward Walking Trails

Extended construction hours: The Environmental Planning and Assessment (COVID-19 Development—Construction Work Days) Order (No 3) 2021 was made on 30 July 2021.Under this Order, construction can take place again on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays without restrictions until 24 December 2021.

From 25 December 2021, no extended construction work days will be permitted – all work will need to be in line with the consent conditions. 

Providing certainty for heritage DAs : New guidelines are available to help councils with environmental heritage and Aboriginal cultural heritage development applications. The guidelines provide certainty on which development applications (DAs) need to be referred to Heritage NSW, and how to refer them via the NSW Planning Portal. This information is now available on the Heritage NSW website: Guidance for local councils, Integrated development (for applicants). If you have any questions, please contact Heritage NSW or the Planning Delivery Unit.

Check out more heritage homes in Willoughby

Review of the EP&A Regulation: As part of our commitment to the ongoing improvement of the NSW planning system, the Department has been undertaking a review of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000. This review follows the 2018 changes to the 2000 Regulation’s parent Act, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act).

While the EP&A Act provides the overarching framework for the planning system in NSW, the 2000 Regulation supports the day-to-day requirements of this system. The proposed regulation is now on exhibition until 22 September 2021. You can also contact the project team via email at regulation.review@planning.nsw.gov.au

Changes to the Infrastructure SEPP now on exhibition: The Infrastructure SEPP simplifies the planning process and helps stakeholders provide essential infrastructure. There are two proposed amendments to the ISEPP.:- Fast-track access to household solar batteries and Boost mobile and internet access. For more information on the proposed changes please visit the webpage. We welcome your feedback on both exhibitions until 13 September 2021.

Draft Housing SEPP recently exhibited: The state government is looking to make it easier to deliver a greater choice and supply of housing so that we can meet the needs of a growing population. The proposed Housing State Environmental Planning Policy will help provide more housing options to meet the changing needs of people living in NSW. They recently asked for feedback about whether the draft provisions will deliver the right balance of certainty and flexibility for all stakeholders. View the exhibition package via the NSW Planning Portal. For more information you can email the team at housingpolicy@planning.nsw.gov.au or call 02 8289 6701

It is believed that these proposed changes will see a decrease in the size of dwellings but with more bedrooms. Thus increasing the density of the population.

Free trees, greening our city and accelerating local infrastructure: More than 25,000 free trees will be given to households across Greater Sydney The 2021 Free Tree Giveaway with Bunnings is open to all 33 local government areas across Greater Sydney, giving 10,500 eligible households a tree to plant in their yard.

Infrastructure Contributions reform: The infrastructure contributions system is central to supporting new, growing communities across our State. The Department is working towards an October launch date for the Infrastructure Contributions exhibition. Significant consultation is underway and will continue into September. The opportunity to make the system more transparent, consistent, simpler, and fairer arises rarely. The Department will continue to work together with industry and councils to work through the details to implement these reforms.

Willoughby Council’s Mayor and CEO are very concerned about the negative financial implications for Council.