New South Wales Consolidated Regulations

PORT STEPHENS LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN 2000 - REG 2

2 Aims, objectives etc

(1) This plan aims to:

(a) provide for appropriate planning and environmental control over the use and development of land within the area of Port Stephens, in order to uphold and promote the objectives of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 , and

(b) provide an updated and simplified plan for the area of Port Stephens, and

(c) achieve the objectives of each zone referred to in clause 10, and

(d) promote community involvement and participation in environmental planning and development assessment, and

(e) ensure that existing and future residents enjoy a range of attractive living environments, have safe and secure communities and have access to a wide range of services and amenities, and

(f) allow flexibility in the planning framework so as to encourage orderly, economic and equitable development while safeguarding the community’s interests, and

(g) ensure that development has regard to the principles of ecologically sustainable development.

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1) (g), "ecologically sustainable development" requires the effective integration of economic and environmental considerations in decision-making processes. The principles of ecologically sustainable development are as follows:

(a) the precautionary principle-namely, that if there are threats of serious or irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation,

(b) inter-generational equity-namely, that the present generation should ensure that the health, diversity and productivity of the environment is maintained or enhanced for the benefit of future generations,

(c) conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity,

(d) improved valuation and pricing of environmental resources.