What is a Development Control Plan (DCP)?

    A DCP is a policy prepared by Council’s to provide detailed guidelines for the design and assessment of proposed developments within a Local Government Area. The Wollongong DCP 2009 specifies the objectives and development controls (e.g., setbacks, private open space, landscaping etc) to guide development that is permissible under the Wollongong Local Environmental Plan 2009.

    Why does Council update Development Control Plan (DCP) Chapters?

    The DCP chapters are reviewed and updated as required, usually to implement the actions of an adopted strategy, to reflect changing legislation, maintain currency or improve the development assessment process.

    What is Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD)?

    Ecologically Sustainable Development is a concept that began in the 1970s with a growing realisation of the importance of the environment for our wellbeing. It recognises that development needs to balance the needs of providing housing or industrial land uses with the healthy functioning of rivers and natural areas that support our communities through clean air and water now and into the future. The concept was formalised in Australian law from 1992 and has been included in many pieces of legislation since then. The Draft DCP Chapter A2 includes a full definition of ESD.

    What is the Wollongong net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target?

    In 2019 Wollongong Council declared a climate emergency and in 2020 we developed a Climate Change Mitigation Plan that set a target for the community of Wollongong to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net-zero’ by 2050. This means that our community will be as close as possible to using 100% renewable energy and restoring natural areas to absorb carbon emissions by 2050. Our goal is to reduce the impacts and costs of climate change on the community.

    What is indoor air quality?

    The quality of air within a home can be reduced by pollutants release from the burning of gas or wood for cooking or heating. Studies have shown that there is an increase in the rate of respiratory illness such as asthma in homes with gas appliances or woodfires.

    What is the Urban Heat Island Effect?

    As climate change continues to affect our environment, Wollongong is expected to experience more heat waves and a greater number of extreme heat events. The built environment can make these heat events worse if large areas of concrete are heated in the day and continue to radiate heat at night. With good design, we can build to reduce the impact of heat on our community.

    How will my feedback be used?

    The project team will review all the feedback we heard from the community during the engagement period. 

    All feedback is important and is one factor in the decision-making process for Council. The graphic below shows some of the factors we consider in our decision making:

    Graphic shows 'Decision' in the middle, with the following words around it: your feedback, cost, legislation, council policies, expert or technical advice, environmental impact, social factors, economic impact and governance.

    What happens next?

    The project team will consider all feedback received and Chapter A2 may be varied as necessary. 

    A report will be prepared for Council detailing what was heard and present recommendations on final amendments. 

    Council will consider this report and provide a resolution on how to proceed. 

    All those that have given feedback will be notified of the date of the Council meeting and how to view the relevant documents.

    When will the Development Control Plan (DCP) chapter be finalised?

    If adopted by Council after the exhibition, the final DCP Chapter will be uploaded to Council’s website and the previous version removed.