Community Input Sought Independent review of council’s town planning practices and procedures By Carol McCormack - 8th August 2002 - Back to News Community input is sought during an independent review of Bass Coast Shire Council’s town planning practices and procedures. The review is at the direction of Council’s independent Audit Committee and in response to feedback from the Bass Coast community.
An independent team from the private firm, RPD Group, will conduct the review.
Cr John Gains, Mayor of Bass Coast Shire Council, said that the review has four main aims.
- Determine if current town planning practices and procedures are consistent with best practice.
- Determine if current town planning practices and procedures contribute to achieving Council’s corporate goals and the objectives in the Municipal Strategic Statement.
- Assess Council’s planning approvals and enforcement process.
- Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Council’s planning approvals and enforcement process.
"Basically the review will look at how Council’s current town planning process function, and work out how they can be improved," said Cr Gains. "In a Shire that is growing at more than 3 times the Victorian average, it is important that our town planning functions are effective and efficient."
"The key to this review is participation from members of the community," said Cr Gains. "We want people to get involved and provide feedback on town planning process and how they can be improved."
Members of the community can get involved in the review in the following ways:
- Taking part in a focus group discussion.
- Making a written submission
- Meeting individually with the independent review team.
People who wish to participate in a focus group discussion or meet with the independent review team, should contact Keitha van’t Hof at Council on (03) 5671 2211 or (03) 5951 3311 by Friday 23 August to arrange a time.
Written submissions, addressing the aims of the review, should be received by the independent review team by Tuesday 10 September. Written submissions should be sent to: Trevor Ludeman, Director, RPD Group, Unit 202, 1-3 Dods Street, Brunswick, 3056 or faxed to (03) 9388 9686.
More information about the review is available from Trevor Ludeman on (03) 9388 0841
Cr Gains said it was important that people realise that this review is separate from the current review of the Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS).
"The MSS review focuses only on the specific MSS document that is included in the Bass Coast Planning Scheme," said Cr Gains. "This independent review of all of Council’s town planning processes is much broader."
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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