26 May 2010
Though the NSW Government simplified the handling of threatened species in the Western Sydney growth centres through ‘biodiversity certification”, site by site assessments are still required under Commonwealth law.
In an attempt to make the development assessment process more efficient, the NSW Government has placed two reports on exhibition. These have been prepared to meet the requirements of the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. These reports are:
- the draft Sydney Growth Centres Strategic Assessment Report; and
- the draft Sydney Growth Centres Program Report.
A “strategic assessment” means potential impacts on matters of national environmental significance for the Growth Centres and can be assessed as one proposal instead of requiring separate assessments for individual development proposals. It may lead to additional restrictions on the use of land, beyond those originally factored in my developers/land owners.
Comments on the draft Sydney Growth Centres Strategic Assessment Report and draft Sydney Growth Centres Program Report will be received until 25 June 2010.
Please contact us if you have any comments that you think we should include in a submission. More information and copies of exhibited material can be accessed from here.
