New planning zones and updated rules for Kingston (Amendment C203) will proceed to an independent planning panel for assessment early in 2023.
All community members who made a submission regarding this important city-shaping amendment are encouraged to present their views to the planning panel to ensure their important feedback and lived experiences are properly considered as part of the process.
The planning panel will meet at Kingston’s Municipal Headquarters in late March 2023, with the dates soon to be confirmed. Only registered, formal submitters will be invited to present to the committee.
C203 seeks to introduce and imbed the Kingston Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study (2021) into the Kingston Planning Scheme and updates the local planning policy framework and existing planning controls to reflect the objectives, directions and actions of the adopted Housing Strategy and Neighbourhood Character Study.
As the formal framework for housing over the next 20 years it includes a series of priorities needed to make housing more affordable, diverse, environmentally sustainable and matched to the changing needs of the local community.
The amendment and accompanying strategy include new format residential zones and overlays, as required by the State Government, that will direct key issues including density, building heights, setbacks, and landscaping in local streets neighbourhoods outside of major activity centres.
Kingston Mayor Hadi Saab said Council has been working alongside our community over several years in developing these new planning rules and we are now at the pointy end of the process.
“Our most recent consultation period over August and September 2022 attracted over 500 submissions presenting a variety of divergent views and highlighted the importance of getting this right,” Cr Saab said.
“Building heights, population growth and the impact on car parking, traffic, and infrastructure, the proposed application of the Neighbourhood Residential Zone, and environmental matters like climate change, trees and flooding were among the key issues and topics discussed by submitters.
“As always, we remain committed to ensuring Kingston is well planned, with any future growth centred in and around our key activity centres, close to public transport, shops, and services to allow us to protect the amenity of our neighbourhood streets.
“We look forward to the independent panel’s assessment and moving forward with our action plan for carefully balancing how we plan for population growth,” Cr Saab said.
