People Power Forces Lake Plan Rethink
Newcastle Herald
Monday June 3, 2002
UNPRECEDENTED opposition to Lake Macquarie's draft Local Environment Plan has forced the council to consider wholesale changes to the scheme.
Councillors will tonight discuss the viability of 31 changes to the controversial plan, which sets the framework for land use and development across the city.
The council received almost 2000 submissions during the plan's four-month public exhibition period.
About 60% of the submissions resulted in recommendations for changes. Many residents were concerned that the draft LEP unnecessarily tightened development restrictions, leaving some property owners with unusable blocks of land.
Anti-LEP action groups argued the plan would erode property values affected by the restrictions and scare investors and developers away from the city. But Lake Macquarie Lord Mayor John Kilpatrick said the proposed changes adequately addressed the problems.
`When they were putting the LEP together it seems that in some cases it was more like pure planning rather than practical pragmatic thinking,' he said.
`We copped a fair bit of input and, from what I have seen, the changes have been substantial and appear to have met most of the concerns people have raised.'
Cr Kilpatrick said one of the most positive proposed changes was to allow development of single homes on properties within 400 metres of major shopping centres.
The draft LEP permitted only medium- and high-density housing development,
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Lake council considering 31 changes to development plan
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the idea being that such restrictions would help bring greater numbers closer to community services.
Other proposed amendments include:
* Land at Redhead and Northlakes be rezoned from investigation to conservation.
* A new industrial zone structure be introduced to include separate clauses for industry in established areas, light industry, or bulky retail goods and warehousing.
* Allowing the use of Morisset Mega Markets as a commercial activity within an industrial zone.
* Minimising split-zoned properties in rural parts of the city.
The amendments also recommend reinstating the controversial Waran Rd land reservation in Kahibah as a possible road link between Kahibah and Whitebridge.
The recommendation angered many Kahibah residents, who fought to have the proposed road quashed almost two years ago.
Fair Go in Planning Lake Macquarie action group spokesman Rob O'Brien said the proposals were `bizarre'.
He said the council's planners were not being realistic about population growth and development.
`This council has broad-brushed all the submissions and put forward pretty much what they wanted in the first place,' he said.
The plan also needed revision to make it easier for residents affected by the changes to understand.
Mr O'Brien called for an independent assessment of residents' submissions to ensure they were fairly considered.
The amendments will go on public display for 28 working days if the council gives them the green light.
© 2002 Newcastle Herald