Ordinary Council Meeting - Hastings Council - NSW Government

PORT MACQUARIE-HASTINGS COUNCIL
affect on the viability of the town centre. The Chamber recommends that Council seek further
independent analysis regarding the potential economic and social impacts of the proposal
before progressing the draft plan further.
Comment:
The previous resolutions of Council to endorse the Warlters Street site for additional retail
floorspace are reiterated in the recently adopted PMH Urban Growth Management Strategy
2010 which specifies a hierarchy of retail centres for the LGA and reinforces the need for
staged release of new commercial land at Settlement City to avoid significant oversupply. This
issue has been comprehensively addressed in the December 2010 report to Council. The
decision of the landowner to maintain the primary school on the site for at least 10 years is a
significant mitigating factor that in effect reinforces previous retail timing resolutions.
Zone B3 Commercial Core vs Zone B4 Mixed Use
Two (2) submissions question the proposed land use zone B3 Commercial Core for the site on
the basis that the adopted Settlement City Precinct Structure Plan recommends zone B4 Mixed
Use.
Comment:
At the time of initially exhibiting the draft Standard PMH LEP in March 2010 and based on the
recommendations of the adopted Structure Plan, zone B4 Mixed Use was applied to all zone
3(a) Business lands within the precinct including, Port Shores Mall, McDonalds Restaurant,
Settlement City Shopping Centre and Port Panthers Club.
Following the public exhibition and further analysis of an appropriate equivalent Standard
template zoning for the land, Council resolved to amend the draft exhibited LEP and apply zone
B3 Commercial Core to the land to reinforce the contributory role of the precinct in the Greater
PMQ CBD and consolidate the primacy of two hubs, consistent with the retail hierarchy
identified in the PMH UGMS 2010.
In applying zone B3 Commercial Core to the site, the draft LEP is consistent with the zoning of
adjoining and adjacent commercial lands; and as noted in the August 2010 Council report,
gives effect to the intended 3(a) Business zoning for the site in accordance with Council’s
November 2004 resolution.
Overly Prescriptive Development Controls
Two (2) submissions argue that the proposed draft LEP Height of Buildings (HOB) and Floor
Space Ratio (FSR) controls are overly prescriptive, too restrictive and unviable from a
commercial and planning perspective and request that these controls be deleted from the draft
LEP. As an alternative to retaining the exhibited controls, Minedor Development Managers
suggest a uniform 16m HOB limit and 2.50:1 FSR be applied across the site to provide greater
flexibility and opportunity for innovative design outcomes.
Comment:
Inclusion of HOB and FSR Maps in the draft LEP is not at Council’s discretion. The Department
of Planning requires that HOB and FSR controls be applied to all business and medium/high
density zones in major regional centres, particularly where significant growth is expected.
Together, these controls aim to achieve appropriate bulk and scale of buildings in the
streetscape.
The draft exhibited HOB and FSR Maps are based on the adopted Structure Plan for
Settlement City which confirms Council’s adopted policy position in relation to the coordination
of land use and development in the Settlement City precinct over the next 10 to 15 years. The
emphasis of the Structure Plan is on achieving quality design outcomes that are coordinated
and responsive to future public needs. For this reason it is considered warranted that the
fundamental elements of the adopted Plan including building heights, movement networks and
public domain, be reflected in the draft LEP.
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