'Rushed' enviro plan gets the nod

THE Richmond Valley Council has approved a new local environmental plan (LEP) for the area, but some landholders say the council has failed to address their concerns with the plan, or to answer their questions.

The landholders claim the council rushed the development of the LEP, failed to consult with them appropriately, and based the entire plan on inaccurate maps.

They say they are also concerned that the LEP will cause them future land-use problems.

Some concerned landholders took the opportunity to raise their concerns regarding a draft of the LEP at a special meeting of council held on April 12. However, the plan approved by the council was unchanged following that meeting.

A report provided to the council noted that 193 written submissions had been received regarding the LEP, but said some were standard letters “issued to generate interest alongside misinformation by a minority group seeking legitimacy”.

In an attempt to address future land-use concerns, the report also noted: “Natural Resource Sensitivity ‘layers’ are only considered when a formal (development application) for a change in land use is received at Council and should not be confused with the zoning of the property.”

“The adoption of the LEP is the result of a long and extensive process which now provides a common approach throughout the whole council area, rather than via the previous three LEPs that existed as a carry-over from amalgamations,” the council’s general manager Brian Wilkinson said following approval of the LEP.