What is happening with Environment Protection “E” Zones and COSS?
“E” zones correspond to existing “7” Conservation and Scenic Protection zones. There are currently at least six “7” zones under current plans, with different provisions such as permitted uses and minimum lot sizes for new lots. After Council prepared DLEP 2009 maps, the Department of Planning (DoP) released a new Planning Practice Note (PN09-002) which provides guidance to councils on environmental protection zones in the standard instrument. The practice note outlines how zones should be applied in the preparation of local environmental plans. There are currently only four “E” zones in the template, one of which specifically relates to National Parks and Nature Reserves. This means that there are only 3 “E” zones that can be used for the remainder of conservation and scenic protection zones. COSS (Coastal Open Space System) is a program that identifies land for open space purposes to be progressively voluntarily acquired to protect its environmental and scenic values in the long term.
