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City Plan FAQs and Fact Sheets

 

What is a Local Environmental Plan (LEP)?

A Local Environmental Plan (LEP) is the principal environmental planning instrument under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 applying to the land in the City of Sydney local government area to control development, regulate land use and help determine planning decisions.  The LEP is made up of a written instrument and maps.

An LEP commonly contains zoning provisions that establish whether a development is permissible in an area and other development controls including height, floor space ratio, heritage and car parking, which determine the extent of the development.

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What is a Development Control Plan (DCP)?

A Development Control Plan (DCP) supports and supplements controls established in the LEP with detailed planning and design guidelines.  A DCP control may apply to certain types of developments, for example, residential flat buildings, or to a specific area, for example, Central Sydney.  The DCP is made up of a written document and supported by maps.

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Why is the City of Sydney preparing a new LEP and DCP?

A new LEP and DCP needs to be prepared because of recent State Government reforms to streamline the NSW planning system.  One of these reforms has been the development of a Standard LEP Template to be adopted by all councils in NSW. 

All Councils must also provide sufficient zoned land and floor space to meet dwelling and employment targets set by the State Government and contribute towards the needs of a growing population.

More importantly, there is a need to integrate the planning controls across the entire Local Government Area (LGA), so that consistent planning controls will exist in a single plan. The new City Plan will provide this framework. This is also consistent with State planning reforms which specify that only one Local Environmental Plan (LEP) can apply to the whole LGA and one Development Control Plan (DCP) can apply to a site and/or the whole LGA.

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How does the exhibition of the draft LEP affect a development application (DA) submitted to Council?

The existing LEPs and DCPs will continue to apply to DAs until the Minister approves the final LEP. However, once the draft LEP is placed on public exhibition, it is a matter for consideration under Section 79C of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.  Both the existing LEPs and the draft LEP will need to be considered by applicants and Council when assessing DAs during and after exhibition of the draft LEP and up until the draft LEP is gazetted.

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Will the new LEP result in significant changes to development potential across the LGA?

The approach taken to transition the current LEPs into the Standard LEP Template has been to build on and reflect existing strategies and planning objectives, and also to provide some consistency to development controls across the LGA. 

The Council will encourage sustainable and responsible development in key growth areas like Green Square while protecting the character of Sydney’s important heritage areas and villages like Glebe, Millers Point and Paddington.

As a consequence the draft LEP does not generally include significant policy changes, upzonings or increases in development potential except for major development areas.

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Downloads

Fact Sheets

The following fact sheets are available for download.

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Last Updated: Monday 12 September, 2011

Please Note:
While care is taken to ensure accuracy, the City of Sydney cannot guarantee that information expressed here is correct and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. The City of Sydney makes no warranty or undertaking, whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect.