Yass Valley residents will no longer be notified of new housing developments in residential zones or when a neighbouring property is building a shed or pergola.
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Under Yass Valley Council's revised Community Engagement Strategy, notification of development applications (DAs) or modification requests won't be required for proposals that fit the approved land use.
Notification won't be required if they also comply with the Yass Local Environmental Plan and any Development Control Plans, and are unlikely to have a major impact on neighbours.
Examples include a factory or warehouse in an industrial area, a house in a residential zone, a business on the main street or a pergola or shed at a home, the council's acting general manager Chris Berry said.
The strategy was approved at the council's ordinary meeting on September 25, amid a crackdown on DA approval times by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
The council's former Community Consultation Development Control Plan (DCP) gave 21 days for notification of all DAs but the DCP hasn't had a statutory status since 2013, Mr Berry said.
The Community Engagement Strategy won't have a statutory status but will provide the council with stronger guidelines about when to consult with the community on DAs.
Councillor Geoff Frost warned the removal of notifications for standard DAs would prevent residents from providing information critical to the proposal's approval or refusal.
"I think this is a terrible strategy," he said. "We're reducing complaints but not telling people they can complain. The neighbour may know something.
"We're giving notification after it's been approved, once people can't do anything about it," he said.
Crs Frost and Michael McManus voted against the strategy.
However, Mr Berry said similar strategies were now "routine" with other councils.
Major or untypical developments such as brothels, wind farms, doctor surgeries and dual occupancies would still be advertised, Mr Berry said.
Non-standard and state significant DAs, such as those listed by Mr Berry, will have 14 day and 30 day notification periods, respectively.
Builders would also provide notification of works to neighbours under their construction certificate process, Mr Berry said.
Although, notification of works would be given after a DA was approved.
"People should have a right to develop land in accordance with what they bought it for," Mr Berry said.
Mr Berry said the council needed to be more efficient at approving DAs.
"A lot of the complaints we get are ones like, 'I don't like the look of it'. The DA meets the requirements but we still have to deal with those types of complaints," he said.
Mayor Rowena Abbey said complaints about DAs were taking up too much time.
Several Yass Valley residents and community groups had urged the council to keep a notification period for all DAs.
The strategy received seven submissions during the public exhibition period.
They argued the strategy reduced transparency and the opportunity for the community to have its say.
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