Review of Foreshore Controls

Council is carrying out a review of all current planning and environmental controls for foreshore and waterfront development to the ridgeline as viewed from the water under all of the Council’s LEPs and DCPs.

The outcome will be LEP and DCP controls that will apply across the Georges River Local Government Area (LGA) and be incorporated into the comprehensive LEP and DCP currently being prepared for the Georges River LGA.

The specific objectives of the project are to produce planning and environmental controls that:

• Provide the foundation for sound environmental management, both strategically and through the approvals process.
• Protect and enhance the landscape and scenic qualities of the Georges River LGA’s foreshores and waterways by minimising the visual impact of development.
• Identify areas of high scenic value due to significant natural features such as rock formations, cliff faces and vegetation.
• Maintain and improve water quality and waterway health through stormwater quality and quantity controls such as water sensitive urban design.
• Reduce the potential impacts of development in the land/water interface environment.
• Conserve and enhance the environmental heritage of the waterway and its foreshores.
• Conserve important estuarine habitats in their natural state through appropriate controls and ecologically sustainable management principles.
• Conserve areas of high habitat value (Greenweb areas) and encourage retention and more planting of indigenous canopy trees and indigenous native shrub species of native seed stock in the foreshore area.
• Plan for and adapt to the potential impacts of climate change on the natural and built environments
• Reflect ecologically sustainable development principles having regard to the possible effects of global warming.
• Control and guide the amount of hard surfaces in the foreshore areas particularly below the foreshore building line.
• Balance the needs of waterfront property owners for private facilities with the needs of the general public to maintain reasonable access to the waterways and land below the mean high water mark.
• Review the effectiveness and relevance of the existing foreshore building line as a means of protecting the waterways and foreshore environment.
• Are consistent with any other studies that have been prepared by Council that affect the foreshore, including Greenweb, bushfire prone land and access under the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The Foreshore Review will:

• Provide a comprehensive review of all current planning and environmental controls for foreshore and waterfront development to the ridgeline as viewed from the water under all of the Council’s LEPs and DCPs;
• Develop a methodology that is consistent for properties fronting the Georges River from Captain Cook Bridge to Salt Pan Creek;
• Complete/Update visual assessment of foreshore based on photographic analysis for LGA;
• Formulate an integrated series of controls that will guide development both below and above high watermark to the ridgeline as viewed from the water; and
• Prepare LEP and DCP controls that will apply across the LGA and that can be incorporated into the comprehensive LEP and DCP currently being prepared for the Georges River LGA.