Kingborough Council has accepted an independent review into the application of Landscape Conservation Zones (LCZ) as part of moving to the Tasmanian Planning Scheme which is required as part of State Government planning reforms.
Kingborough Mayor Paula Wriedt said a majority of elected members voted in favour of the review being provided to the Tasmanian Planning Commission as part of Kingborough’s draft Local Provisions Schedule (LPS).
“Councillors noted several times that the report was very comprehensive; however, several agreed refinements would be made prior to its submission this week,” Cr Wriedt said.
“Council understands this issue has been extremely difficult for some landowners.
“The application of LCZ has caused concerns, and we have listened to this feedback and taken it on board.
“As Mayor, I am sorry people have felt worried and upset about this matter.
“Planning is complex, and we are trying to set a framework which will guide responsible land use in our municipal area.
“As was remarked during the debate, it is a shame the framework developed by our independent consultants as part of the review was not more clearly reflected in the State Government’s guidelines about for applying zones under the new scheme right throughout Tasmania.
“This would have ensured greater consistency in application across different municipal areas.
“The review does not remove LCZ zoning from our draft LPS submission.
“However, it has significantly reduced the number of properties proposed to be zoned LCZ from 1631 to 869.
“While we know that some landowners believe we should not have any land zoned as LCZ.
There are legitimate planning reasons why some parts of our municipal area require this zoning to ensure their natural values are retained.
“Councillors amended the staff recommendation to make it clear to the TPC that if two zones could potentially apply to an area under the framework, that Council, acting as the Planning Authority, would prefer that the zone with fewer restrictions be applied.”
Mayor Wriedt said the review would now be provided to the Commission, which was continuing to assess Kingborough’s draft LPS and conduct hearings.
The Commission has indicated that any landowners whose property’s zone has changed through this review will be advised and will be invited to participate in the hearings.
“Ultimately the final decisions on the application of zoning will be made by members of the Tasmanian Planning Commission which is an independent body comprising of members with specific expertise in land use and planning matters.”
The submitted independent report will be made available on both Council’s and the TPC website.