The Extraordinary Meeting of Palerang Council tomorrow in Bungendore to continue working on the Draft Palerang LEP 2010 will consider minimum lot sizes. This is one of the most contentious issues in the new Local Environment Plan as it relates most directly to subdivision potential. Prior to amalgamation there were different sizes applied in the old shire areas. Directions from the Department of Planning will not give the Councillors free rein over the end decision, and the draft is still to go on public exhibition for comment.
The report to Council says "Under the standard instrument LEP minimum lot sizes are controlled by clause 4.1 and the accompanying lot size map. The lot size map is separate from the zoning map and the traditional link between lot size and zone has been broken since the standard instrument allows different lot sizes within the one zone. Notwithstanding this it is convenient to consider lot size in terms of zone and in most cases a common lot size will be appropriate across a zone. Consequently the discussion of lot sizes is based on zoning."
The report to Council says "For the Zone RU1 Primary Production and Zone RU2 Rural Landscape, the Department of Planning has advised on a number of occasions that it considers the use of average lot size provisions to create small lots in rural zones is not appropriate as it perpetuates the problems associated with concessional lots. Final, formal advice in response to representations from Palerang, Cooma-Monaro and Goulburn Mulwaree Councils has not been received from the Minister or Department pending consultation with the Local Government and Shires Association (LGSA). However the Department's current position, as expressed in the Director General's letter to the LGSA (March 2010), is that 'the lot averaging concept for subdivision is not supported for any rural or the R5 Large Lot Residential zones'."
The report says that "the department neither acknowledges nor understands the agricultural benefits of averaging that result from the creation and protection from further subdivision of large agricultural lots. It was these agricultural benefits which prompted Yarrowlumla Council to introduce rural averaging (with the support of the departments of Agriculture and Planning) in 1995.
However while the reasons leading to Yarrowlumla's introduction of averaging remain sound, a number of unintended undesirable consequences should be acknowledged."
The report recommends that "In order to avoid delays when the draft plan is submitted to the Department it is recommended that rural averaging not be pursued further unless advice is received from the Department that averaging in rural zones is acceptable."
However in the Zone E2 Environmental Conservation, Zone E3 Environmental Management & Zone E4 Environmental Living, "the Department of Planning has indicated that average lot size provisions are acceptable under some circumstances."
Residential zones will also be debated. "It is recommended that the minimum subdivision lot size for sewered land within the RU5 Village zone (Captains Flat) be 1000m2 and for unsewered land within the RU5 Village zone (Nerriga, Mongarlowe, Majors Creek, Araluen) be 4000m2.
In the Zone R2 Low Density Residential, "It is considered that the existing character of the residential areas of Braidwood and Bungendore can best be maintained by a minimum subdivision size of 1000m2. "
In the Zone R5 Large Lot Residential, which is proposed for the following localities in Palerang: Elmslea West (5ha) and the large lot area of Elmslea East in Bungendore (1 ha); Existing 1(c) zoned land adjoining Braidwood (2ha); and Existing 2(v) zoned land Llewellyn Drive Braidwood (5ha).
The meeting commences at 4.00 pm at the Council Cahmbers in Bungendore.
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