Coincidently, I’ve had two calls recently from people who have ‘bumped up against’ council’s signage regulations. The two situations were quite different, but the problematic regulation was effectively the same. (more…)
The QPR Blog
…local government stuff you never even thought to ask about…
Building Uses
Following in the general vein of my previous couple of posts, from time to time I am presented with situations that arise through misunderstandings in relation to what uses a structure may be put. I touched on this subject some years back when discussing ‘Change of Use’, and it relates to the whole issue of permissible and ancillary land uses. (more…)
Permissible Land Uses
Well, I did say that the subject of ancillary land uses could become confusing at times. Based on some of the feedback I received in relation to my last post, it was no exception, so let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture of permissible land uses.
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Ancillary Land Uses
I made a sideways reference to this subject in the previous post. While discussion on the subject can become confusing, the fact is that often it is not so much the nature of a particular land use but the relationship of that land use to other uses practiced on the same land that determines whether or not it might be an ancillary use. (more…)
Earthworks Revisited
While I touched on this subject some years ago (Earthworks and More on Earthworks), in going back to check what I’d written then, I was a little surprised to find that it was actually seven years ago. Nonetheless, the following are some more general comments than the specific examples I have discussed previously. (more…)
Building in Bush Fire Prone Areas
In my last post I presented an overview of the regulations relating to building in bush fire prone areas, with references to several relevant documents. It’s a little difficult to draw from that a simple list of building requirements, because specifications are somewhat dependent on the threat level assessed at a given location. For those wishing to simply improve existing structures, which are not subject to current regulations, there are nonetheless some guidelines that can be followed. (more…)
More About Bush Fire Prone Land
I was asked recently about issues relating to building in bush fire prone areas. Although I have written about this previously, given the time of the year, and as this is a subject that is related to recent posts relating to planning matters, it seemed quite an appropriate subject for further discussion. (more…)
Planning Legislation (Coda)
The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EPAA) has always supported a hierarchical approval structure that was intended to provide appropriate levels of transparency in the assessment process, balancing the interests of all parties involved without burdening the vast majority of applications with unnecessary bureaucratic red tape. (more…)
Planning Legislation
Following on from the earlier post relating to Land Use Planning, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act (EPAA) of 1979 was the first piece of legislation that was directed purely at the management of land use planning in NSW. Prior to this, land use had generally been managed through Planning Scheme Ordinances created under Part XIIA (Town and Country Planning Schemes) of the Local Government Act. (more…)
Land Use Planning
Following on from an earlier post on the history of Local Government in NSW, one significant change introduced with the Local Government Act of 1906 was a move away from a rating system that was based solely on the ability to pay to one that also recognised the benefit derived from public expenditure in areas such as road building and maintenance. Rates thus became an incentive to develop, with undeveloped land attracting the same rate as a neighbouring property that had been cleared and built upon. (more…)