THE Northern Rivers Planning Panel (NRPP) earlier this week accepted a Clause 55 variation under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 for the Iron Gates development proposal in Evans Head.
Clause 55 means a development application may be amended or varied by the applicant, with the agreement of the consent authority, at any time before the application is determined, by lodging the amendment on the NSW planning portal. It also states an amended application must include particulars sufficient to indicate the nature of the changed development.
As the project had a value of more than $10 million, it had been referred to the NRPP for determination. The NRPP is a panel of members appointed by the NSW Government to provide independent, merit-based decision making and advice to the Minister on regionally-significant development proposals.
Accordingly, it was the Panel’s decision to accept the amendments for this development application.
The NRPP’s decision means the development application will now come back to Richmond Valley Council for assessment before returning to the NRPP for determination.
General Manager Vaughan Macdonald said as with all development applications received by Council, the Goldcoral Pty Ltd proposal for Iron Gates would undergo a further full professional and technical assessment to ensure it met relevant NSW Government legislation and planning controls, which includes referrals to NSW Government agencies for their advice and feedback.
Mr Macdonald said once all documentation was reviewed by Council’s Development Assessment Planners, the development application would go on public exhibition to give the community another opportunity to have a say on the merits of this development.
“We know this proposal is of significant interest to our Evans Head community and Council will inform the community when the public exhibition commences,” he said.