Pittwater Council Annual Report - Pittwater Council - NSW ...

Section 2 - Statutory StatementsEnvironmental Programs Summary - cont.Regional pressures on human settlementWaste generation is a pressure that is increasing due to growing populations, increased consumerism,increases in development, higher use of plastic bags, higher use of packaged foods, illegal and incorrectdumping of waste and littering. These factors contribute to continually higher amounts of waste being sentto landfill throughout the region.Noise is still an apparent issue within the region, although data shows that noise complaints have decreasedbetween 2007/08 and 2008/09. Noise from urban developments, companion animals, transport, traffic,construction, recreational noise and neighbourhood noise may have adverse impacts upon the community’squality of life.Regional response to human settlement issuesHuman settlement issues were addressed as part of the SHOROC SoE community consultation meetingwhich was held on 6th August 2009. Participants in the consultation were asked to identify priority issues ofconcern relating to human settlement, and to work together to make recommendations for addressing theseissues. The priority human settlement issues and recommendations identified are provided below:IssueContain housing in existingurban areas to preventspread into bushland andexisting open spaceImpact of development onbushland areas and nonurbanlandIneffective public transportsystem which encouragesuse of private vehicles andleads to traffic congestionRecommendation• Encourage development of 1-2 bedroom dwellings, hostels, higher density‘community living’• Limit size of homes being built e.g. no bigger than 300m2 floor space,through local environment plans• Implement measures to protect land e.g. zoning, incentives• Acquisition of environmentally sensitive land by Councils• Develop management responses/programs to reduce threats to bushland• Develop a Northern Beaches Nature Conservation Trust• Prescribe planting of native trees only on public and private land• Statutory recognition of values of bushland for habitat protection• mplement effective programs to deal with noxious weeds and feral animals• Provide minibuses to connect to main transport corridors• Increase minibuses to transport people e.g. elderly to local facilities• Provide ‘circular’ bus route to community venues / beaches• Improve bus service to main centres e.g. Chatswood• Remove walkways on Spit Bridge to allow for another lane, and construct awalkway under the bridge• Provide a 24 hour clearway along Spit and Military RoadsPittwater Programs - Human SettlementNew Housing Option for PittwaterPittwater Council has made an amendment to its Local Environmental Plan to allow ‘secondary dwellings’as a housing option for the local area. Secondary dwellings are small self-contained homes that are locatedon the site of a larger existing property. This will help to address the increasing need for affordable housingchoice for residents in Pittwater.The main changes to the LEP include:• That a secondary dwelling would be self-contained but not separately titled• That a secondary dwelling could be located within, attached to or separate from the main dwelling• That a secondary dwelling would have a maximum total floor space of 60 square metres or up to 20%of the total floor area, whichever was greater.vii) Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal HeritageHeritage is defined as places, objects, customs and cultures that have aesthetic, natural, historic or socialsignificance or other special values for present and future generations (Australia ICOMOS (InternationalCouncil on Monuments and Sites), 1999).Remnants of Aboriginal heritage sites including occupational, ceremonial and midden sites can be found onpublic and private land. Non-Aboriginal heritage refers to use of the land since European settlement andincludes the oldest commercial, industrial and iconic architecture still present as well as military heritagein the SHOROC region.Regional condition of our heritageThe Sydney Basin is one of the richest areas in Australia in terms of Aboriginal archaeological sites. Thereare thousands of sites, more than half of which contain rock art, and in Sydney’s sandstone belt at least1,500 rock shelters have been discovered to contain cultural deposit.A significant number of sites have been found in the northern Sydney area and there are likely to be manymore that have yet to be identified. All Aboriginal sites have legal protection under both state and federallaw and it is an offence to damage or destroy them without agreement from DECCW.40