Media Release
Deputy Premier
Minister for Planning
Minister for Aboriginal Affairs
Minister for Housing
20 December 2001
DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR THE NSW SOUTH COAST
The NSW Government is working to ensure quality urban design for our rapidly growing coastal towns and villages.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Planning Dr Andrew Refshauge today released a Discussion Paper on Coastal Design Guidelines for NSW.
"With our coastal population expected to increase by 60% over the next 25 years, we need to guard the special qualities of our seaside settlements," said Dr Refshauge.
"While the NSW coast is undergoing significant changes as a result of increased pressure from tourism and population growth, we want to work with local government to provide design guidance for planners and developers.
"In consultation with the community we want to ensure we value and protect the unique characteristics of each place along our coast," said Dr Refshauge.
"By default, the development we are seeing in many coastal centres is becoming very similar, compromising the identity of our unique coastal towns," says Professor Bruce Thom, Chair of the Coastal Council.
"Coastal towns could be well served if the conventional approach to decision making on a site-by-site basis was replaced by an urban design-based process that is responsive to the character and environment of place, is socially responsive and economically positive," added Professor Thom.
The guidelines have been designed primarily to provide guidance on urban form for planners, developers, local government councillors and offices to identify visions and future forms for coastal settlements.
The discussion paper builds on the Government's commitment to protecting the coast, and follows the introduction of the NSW Coastal Policy in 1997, and the release of the Coastal Protection Package in June 2001.
It has been developed by the Government's advisory body on coastal planning and management, the Coastal Council of NSW. The Council, in collaboration with NSW Tourism, commissioned the Urban Design Advisory Service (UDAS) within the Department of Planning to prepare the discussion paper.
The discussion paper can be seen on the Coastal Council's web site at www.coastalcouncil.nsw.gov.au and is also available through planningNSW at the Information Centre at Lee Street in Sydney, regional offices at Wollongong, Grafton and Newcastle, and at all the coastal local councils.
[Note - the paper is in a number of PDF files, total about 36Mb!]
The Government os calling for submissions on the Discussion
Paper by 1 March 2002. Comments can be sent to:
The Coastal Council
GPO Box 3927
SYDNEY NSW 2001
Or email: julie.conlon@duap.nsw.gov.au