DLEP website misleading, says CEN

The Community Environment Network has described Gosford Council's draft Local Environment Plan website as "incorrect and misleading".

The region's peak environment group has stated that an independent inquiry by the Planning Assessment Commission may be needed if council continues to get its information wrong.

"This DLEP process has been going on for some time and we need to get it right," CEN chairman Mr John Asquith said.

"If council is not going to correct the draft LEP information, then an independent inquiry by the Planning Assessment Commission is needed to conduct public hearings and to publicly resolve these issues.

"Fact Sheet Seven, titled 'What are the changes made by the State Government', states that council was directed to remove a clause relating to environmentally-sensitive land as these areas could not be mapped due to the scale of mapping, lack of up-to-date information and invalidated data.

"However the Department of Planning in response to a question from the community group has advised that the removal of the clause was initiated by council staff (and not the Department) who did not want to have environmentally-sensitive land mapped in the LEP.

"The CEN is calling on Gosford Council to use its updated vegetation mapping (Bell, 2009) that was commissioned by council for this purpose and include it in the DLEP to protect environmentally-sensitive areas."

Mr Asquith said he was concerned that council had now placed mapping on the web link but had not made it clear that the mapping was not part of the DLEP.

"In addition, council has suggested that consideration was being given to a forum on the draft LEP after comments close and to amending conservation zones after the draft LEP is approved.

"Forums are of little value if the information given to the public is incorrect and the suggestions that zonings could be reviewed after the LEP is made are disingenuous as the LEP is not intended to be reviewed for five years.

"The public can have no faith that council would revise its zonings - including protecting its

COSS lands with a more appropriate conservation zone - at some later time.

"CEN is requesting the clarifications and corrections to be made as soon as possible and council extend the period for comments by 30 days."

Press release, 30 Mar 2010 John Asquith, Community Environment Network