From Hilltops Council – Councillor Greg Armstrong

Greg Armstrong

In February 2023, the Hilltops Local Environmental Plan (LEP) was made by the NSW Government.

This new plan is a Hilltops wide plan which replaced the LEP’s of the former Young, Harden and Boorowa Shire Councils.

The work required to achieve a planning outcome that satisfied the needs of the broader Hilltops community, identified localised planning needs and met the stringent requirements of the State Government was extensive and took some 3 years to bring about its completion.

Part of this work involved the creation of the Hilltops Local Strategic Planning Statement, an aspirational document that provides a context for future planning decisions and growth for the whole Hilltops local government area.

The next step in the planning pathway is the review and development of a new Hilltops Development Control Plan and Infrastructure Charge Plans. These instruments will replace the former Young Development Control Plan 2011 and Boorowa Development Control Plan 2012.

There is no DCP in force for the former Harden Shire area, so a Hilltops wide DCP must be sufficiently comprehensive to meet all the needs of areas that have functioned under existing DCP controls and one area that did not.

The Development Control Plan is a comprehensive document that “supports an LEP and expands its principle development standards” – it is a locally adopted document that specifies the detail regarding development standards and may contain a range of measures such as planning principles, objectives and controls for buildings.

DCPs can also have controls for single topics such as landscaping, drainage and car parking.

It is anticipated that the Hilltops DCP will be completed in the term of the current Council and that a newly elected Council will, in late 2024, be able to move forward with the implementation of the Development Control Plan and associated instruments.

Lest we forget – Anzac Day 2023

Have a great weekend, stay safe and stay well.

Greg Armstrong