A Development Control Plan (DCP) provides detailed planning and design guidelines to support the planning controls in Council’s Local Environmental Plan (LEP).

Since the implementation of Central Coast LEP 2022 and Central Coast DCP 2022, various operational issues and general feedback pertaining to both the LEP and DCP have been identified, by both staff and the public. All of these issues have been recorded.

It has been identified that some of these issues are simple and some are complex and that the less complex issues can provide some ‘quick fixes’ and should occur as soon as possible.

The changes are identified in the Document Library under Amendment List. The DCP Chapters proposed to be revised can also be found in the document library. Within the draft chapters, proposed changes are highlighted in yellow. Items within tables or diagrams are further identified by Item Number.

Council is seeking comments on the changes identified in the table provided and as shown on the draft DCP.

Outcomes of the public exhibition process will be reported back to Council. Other similar minor changes may be considered by Council. If proposed changes are considered to significant and would require re-exhibition, they will not be considered under this DCP Review.

There is an ongoing program in relation to the review of Council’s DCP Controls. At this stage controls relating to a review of flooding and residential development are seen as the most important and are at different points of completion. Further DCP Chapter revisions will occur as an ongoing process.

A Miscellaneous Housekeeping LEP amendment is being prepared. This is a more detailed process and has been separated from this DCP Review to allow this particular project to be accelerated.

Council is aware that the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) have recently released a Statewide CPP for comment. There is no certainty as to the timing of when a Statewide CPP will come into force nor how the CPP will look or operate once adopted.

It is proposed that the DCP changes come into effect in July 2026.

If you have already lodged a DA, it will continue to be assessed under the controls that applied at the time it was lodged, unless planning legislation requires otherwise. The proposed amendments do not automatically affect lodged applications.

There is no requirement to delay lodging a DA. The proposed changes are largely clarifications and minor clean-ups and do not substantially change development standards.

The amendments are not intended to increase or decrease development. Their purpose is to improve clarity and consistency and remove unnecessary complexity, not to change the overall level of development.

For most areas, no. The amendments do not change zoning or land use permissions. Some site-specific or precinct chapters are proposed to be removed where the development has already been completed, or the controls are no longer required.

By removing unclear wording, outdated requirements and unnecessary notification for very low-impact proposals, the changes aim to improve certainty and simplify assessment. This may help applications to progress more smoothly, but it does not guarantee faster approvals in every case.

Yes. Some changes respond to issues identified through practical use of the DCP, including feedback from applicants and industry professionals about unclear or inconsistent controls.

Yes. Feedback from the community has also helped identify areas where the DCP could be clearer or easier to understand, particularly around notification and explanation of requirements.

Following the completion of public exhibition the outcomes including a summary of submissions and proposed actions will be considered in a report to Council. At this stage, this is scheduled to occur in July 2026.