February 2019 | Sharon Webb

MEANDER VALLEY Council is set to be the first to implement the new Tasmanian Planning Scheme.

The council’s general manager Martin Gill said Meander Valley residents will be the first Tasmanian community to work with the scheme, one of the key outcomes of the Tasmanian Liberals’ planning reform process.

“We are the first council to put the new Tasmanian Planning Scheme on formal public notice and will most likely be the first to have the scheme including a local provisions schedule declared by the Minister sometime later this year,” Mr Gill said.

The new Tasmanian Planning Scheme is designed to deliver consistency in planning controls applying across the State and provide the necessary flexibility to address local issues through local provisions schedules.

It consists of State planning provisions and local provisions schedules, indicating how the provisions apply in each municipality and containing zone maps and overlay maps or description of places where the codes apply.

They will also contain local area objectives and any planning controls for unique places specific to the local area. These unique areas can be in the form of particular purpose zones, specific area plans, and site-specific qualifications.

Councils are responsible for preparing their local provisions schedules in consultation with their communities and other stakeholders to ensure it reflects the community’s expectations.

The schedules include planning controls to accommodate unique locations such as universities and hospitals, as well as unique development conditions such as building height restrictions.

sharon.webb@meandervalleygazette.com