There’s been some discussion over the years about land use planning, in our rural residential areas in particular. With the public exhibition of our new ‘consolidated’ LEP imminent, I thought I’d follow up on some of my previous articles on the NSW planning system with a brief discussion on the process involved in changing a planning instrument such as a Local Environmental Plan (LEP). (more…)
The QPR Blog
…local government stuff you never even thought to ask about…
Local Government Referenda
As I have previously noted, there are several matters that cannot be acted upon by Council unless approval to do so has been given at a constitutional referendum. Having discussed the process by which the Mayor is elected as one of these matters, and given that the subject arises from time to time, I thought it might also be worthwhile looking at the issue of electoral wards, formerly known as ridings (an area within which a representative could reach any constituent on horseback in a day’s ride). (more…)
The Act on Wards
The following are the primary Sections of the Local Government Act that apply to the establishment and operation of wards within a Local Government Area. (more…)
Local Government Elections
My how time flies when you’re having fun! Yep, 12 September 2020 will be here before you know it and this time around there may be something more to consider. By the time you read this, Council will have resolved whether or not to hold a referendum in conjunction with the upcoming Council elections. (more…)
More on Rates
Following on from the previous post on rating categories, the definition of rural residential land that is provided in the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act), the explicit size requirement in particular, provides a bit of a problem in the present context. (more…)
Rating Categories
In my previous post, we took a look at a couple of specific, current issues relating to the rating system. For those less familiar with the system in general, I thought it might help to step back a little and provide some broader context. (more…)
Rating Season
Rarely are residents’ interests in council activities piqued as consistently as they are with the issue of the annual rates notices. This year has been no exception and with the recent release of the report from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) on their review of the NSW rating system it seemed like an entirely appropriate subject for discussion. (more…)
Flood Planning
This may seem a somewhat irrelevant subject for those of us living in the hills around the ACT, where there’s a far greater risk of bushfire than flood, but it’s been a relatively quiet month on the Council front and little else worthy of discussion has surfaced, if you’ll pardon the pun. Flood planning also involves a raft (there we go again) of acronyms that might benefit from some explanation. (more…)
Signage
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…)
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…)