OSCA LEP information night on:
7PM, Monday 19th November, 2012
Ocean Shores Gallery, Next to Target,
Rajah Road Ocean Shores

The Local Environment Plan is the document on which all land and property use is based.  Byron Council’s first LEP was written in 1988 and is still the planning document for the shire.  There have been over a hundred amendments to the plan, including the zoning of the Roundhouse site which in 1988 was zoned for community use.  It is now zoned residential and is still approved for an 11 lot subdivision.

There is a new LEP now in the pipeline, the Draft LEP has gone on public exhibition for community comment and submissions.  Submissions have to be at Council by 24th December 2012.  A copy of the new draft LEP is at the Ocean Shores Gallery.

Whether you live in a town or rural area, the LEP will change the way the shire operates.  It is important to know what it is about.

OSCA has invited Rex Harris of the Byron Rural Action Group to meet with us on Monday night 19th November at 7pm.  Rex will show us a power point presentation about the new LEP, especially with a rural perspective but also to inform us of our community open spaces and parks, our waterways.  If you live near a drain/watercourse/creek there may be restrictions on what you can plant or build if it is 40m from it.  If you have a home based business, what are your rights under the new LEP?

Important to be aware of the new proposals.

Come along on Monday night at 7pm to hear.
Ocean Shores Gallery, next to Target.

Regards
Jan Mangleson
OSCA President

To learn more, go to: www.byron.nsw.gov.au/draft-byron-local-environmental-plan-2012, or come to the Ocean Shores Gallery to view the documents.

Review the Draft Byron LEP 2012 and have your say at http://yoursaybyronshire.com.au/draft-lep

Submissions deadline is December 24th.

Jillian Spring (OSCA member) writes:

As a land owner, I’m very concerned about the changes in the new LEP and I would like to share this with OSCA members.

I live in Billinudgel – overlooking the beautiful Pocket Valley to Middle Pocket, with Billinudgel village south east, Mount Chincogan to the south with the 2 ‘sisters’ in the majestic range which meanders to Main Arm range.

We have invited Rex Harris of the Rural Action Group to come to the Gallery to give us information on the new LEP and how it may affect you.

It is important to know about these new zonings whether you live on a rural property, or in town, whether you have a home based business or live 40 metres from a watercourse in Ocean Shores or South Golden Beach or New Brighton.

You may now have multiple zones on your property (in full or in part) – without any consultation with landowners and without any ‘on-ground’ assessments. Most of the decisions have been based on aerial photographs of the shire taken in 1991.

It is imperative the landholders communicate disagreements/issues with the LEP to via a written submission. Please do not be complacent, thinking all will be well. You do need to investigate. To learn more, go to: www.byron.nsw.gov.au/draft-byron-local-environmental-plan-2012, or come to the Ocean Shores Gallery to view the documents.

See the watercourse map that all landholders should be aware of. Restrictions now apply. All land identified as a “Watercourse” – situated within 40 metres of the top of the bank of any such watercourse. It is another overlay that affects almost every rural property. These watercourses are not all creeks or rivers, an e.g. on one property (how many others?), they are essentially areas for water runoff after heavy rain. So, a steep slope/gully/ravine on a property; some or all of the area may be identified as a ‘watercourse’.

The LEP is a complex document and requires a level of skill to review clauses and then cross reference these to a range of maps and other associated clauses within the LEP.

For people whose zoning has not changed but who believe that farmers have a right to continue to farm without severe restraints, sterilization and devaluation of properties, you can help too.

Kind Regards,

Jillian Spring
Phone 66801178

To find out more or to get help to make a submission, come to the OSCA meeting:
7pm on Monday 19th November at the Ocean Shores Gallery, Next to Target, Rajah Road Ocean Shores.