New houses could be banned from parts of Coffs Harbour set aside for business and light industry, under planning changes aimed at heading off clashes between residents and industry.
City of Coffs Harbour councillors voted at their meeting on Thursday, 22 October to send the proposal to the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, seeking a gateway determination.
The main goal is to stop business and industrial land from slowly being taken over by housing, which can lead to complaints about noise, traffic, or operating hours.
The proposal would:
- Stop new houses, duplexes, and other low-density homes from being built in the E3 Productivity Support zone, which is meant for businesses, offices, light industry, and services
- Tighten the rules in the E4 General Industrial zone so any home on a site is clearly linked to a business operating there, such as a caretaker’s or manager’s residence
“As a fast-growing Local Government Area this is a commonsense measure to plan now to avoid any future land use conflicts,” said City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams.
“Residential and employment lands are both incredibly important, and there’s a need to manage a sense of balance as our population increases.”
The changes also aim to protect existing rural land uses.
City Planning and Communities Director Ian Fitzgibbon said a minor update to the Development Control Plan would require new homes built next to rural land to assess possible land-use conflicts.
“The changes would ensure new residential development does not impact on existing rural land uses,” he said.
“So new residential development may need to provide mitigation measures on their site so that pressure is not placed on the existing rural land uses when residents move in.”
“This could be by screening on the residential land or adequate buffers.”
In 2020, the council adopted a strategy to make sure there is enough commercial and industrial land across the Coffs Harbour area to support businesses, jobs, and growth. The proposed changes aim to put some of its actions into effect.
If the gateway determination is favourable, the proposal will go on public exhibition.
The council will also exhibit a draft amendment to the Coffs Harbour Development Control Plan 2015. If objections are received, a report will come back to council.
“More broadly, these proposed changes will align with NSW Government frameworks aimed at safeguarding important employment areas,” the director said.
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