New development rules flagged

LISMORE City Council releases draft changes to rules around exhibiting developments

Lismore City Council Chambers.

ANYONE planning to build in the Lismore City Council area will have a new set of rules to work with if a new set of policy provisions proposed by the council are approved.

The new draft policy provisions covering the notification and advertisement of development applications are now on public exhibition.

• See the draft policy provisions here or go to the council's Corporate Centre, 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah, and Council's CBD Office, 55 Magellan Street, Lismore, from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 4.30pm before November 16

A council spokeswoman said the draft policy provided different notification periods of either seven or 14 days, depending on the scale or potential impacts of the proposed development.

The draft policy also specified types of development where the council would issue no notification of a development application.

The draft rules included provision for consultation and notification processes for new mobile phone towers, and would align with terms and definitions included in the council's draft Local Environmental Plan, she said.

Lismore City Council development and compliance manager Peter Jeuken said the review of the council's notification policy for development applications was "overdue".

"The review ... has been undertaken to ensure best practice principles and flexibility are applied to Council's DA notification processes with less emphasis on newspaper advertising of DAs other than for larger developments," he said.

"The draft policy seeks to reduce delays in development assessment processes, particularly for development of a minor nature that demonstrates compliance with Council's planning controls."

The draft policy (Proposed Amendment No. 12 to the Lismore Development Control Plan - Notification and Advertising of Development Applications) is on public exhibition until November 16.