Orange City Council’s obligation under the Local Government Act is to inform the community of its operations. The Council acknowledges that frustration may arise from both prospective developers and affected community members where misunderstanding of the system occurs.
There is a need to provide clear information about the complex planning system. Transparency and accountability in the decision making process is a commonly expressed objective.
Orange City Council undertakes to apply the following procedures and protocols when implementing its planning and development responsibilities derived from the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act).
These two documents are a Strategic Policy which includes complaint-handling procedures in the event that unreasonable non-compliance with procedures is alleged. The first document is a brief statement of commitment, while the second outlines the details of how planning decisions should be made.
Strategic Policy Planning & Development Assessment Procedures and Protocols - ST024
Declaration of Planning and Development Assessment Procedures and Protocols – Version 4
Strategic planning at its simplest can be described as a planning process comprising three main elements: “survey – analysis – plan.” This simple description relates to the collection of information (which may include detailed environmental investigations), analysis of the information to determine development options and the creation of planning policy consistent with the analysed information. Each phase may involve community consultation and liaison with government agencies with specific planning and environmental responsibilities.
The detail of the investigation increases as the process moves from strategic planning to assessment and certification. Therefore, issues may arise or more information may need to be sought as a proposal moves through the planning process.
Council acknowledges that the purpose of local planning in Orange is to provide quality, sustainable environmental outcomes which are consistently applied, through transparent and accountable decision making, and which provide for appropriate community involvement.
If you have general questions or complaint, please contact us on 02 6393 8000 or send us an email at [email protected].
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