New Comprehensive LEP

Why has Council prepared a new Comprehensive Local Environmental Plan?

• Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council has prepared a new Local Environmental Plan (LEP) to harmonise and consolidate the land-use planning controls that apply to the local government area (LGA).  This new plan is called Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Local Environmental Plan 2022(PDF, 683KB) .
• The new plan has been prepared due to the local government amalgamations that occurred in 2016.
• The new LEP is the first step in implementing a comprehensive planning scheme for the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional LGA. Other planning documents such as Council’s development control plans and contribution plans are also intended to be updated and consolidated where necessary.

What are the benefits?

• Council currently administers seven separate LEPs (six of which are former Queanbeyan LEPs).  These will all be formally repealed and replaced by a new LEP that will be the single reference point for understanding Council’s land-use planning controls

When will the new LEP come into effect?

• The new plan has now been approved by the State Government and will formally commence on 14 November 2022.

What does this mean for anyone proposing to lodge a development application with the Council in the near future? 

• Anyone intending to lodge a development application with Council prior to 14 November 2022 will need to ensure that it has been prepared consistent with the provisions of the existing LEP controls that apply to the land.
• Please note any development application lodged on the Planning Portal will need to be accepted by Council prior to 14 November 2022 if it is to be assessed against the existing LEP controls.  Where a development application is lodged, but not accepted by Council prior to 14 November 2022, it will be assessed against the provisions of the new plan. 
• Council strongly recommends any applications prepared consistent with the existing LEP controls are lodged well in advance of 14 November 2022.
• Anyone intending to lodge a development application with the Council on or after 14 November 2022 will need to ensure that the development application has been prepared consistent with the provisions of the new Queanbeyan-Palerang Comprehensive Local Environmental Plan 2022.

What’s New or Different?

• The new LEP seeks to harmonise the existing LEPs that apply to the former local government areas of Queanbeyan and Palerang.  The existing LEPs of the former councils have been used to inform development of the standards and local provisions that are included in the new plan.
• The new plan primarily addresses inconsistencies between the respective planning instruments applying to the LGA for the plans to be combined into a single comprehensive planning instrument.  These inconsistencies are largely around differences in the permissible development in different zones under the various plans.
• As a consequence of combining the existing plans, there has also been reordering of a number of clauses in the new plan.
• Further detail in respect of the more significant changes are set out in the accompanying document titled ‘Key Changes to Planning Controls in QPRC from 14 November 2022’(PDF, 200KB) .

LEP Mapping

• LEP maps have also been prepared to support the new plan.
• The formal maps will not be available on the NSW Legislation website until the new plan comes into effect.
• Council advises that these draft maps are not the final adopted maps and should not be relied on as in-force legal maps at this time.  Council also advises that any development applications made on or after 14 November 2022 will need to be consistent with the gazetted LEP maps when they become available on the NSW Planning Portal.

• In the meantime, the draft LEP maps prepared by Council can be viewed below

Where Can I Get More Information?

• You can email Council’s Land-use Planning Team at landuseadmin@qprc.nsw.gov.au who will respond directly to your query, by phone or by email.

Draft Maps