The incorporation of ecological sustainable development (ESD) principles into the newly revised Residential Development Control Plan (DCP) by Manly City Council has brought positive and innovative results. With legislative amendments in the late 1990s incorporating economic sustainable development and the adoption of the Manly Sustainability Strategy in 1998, Council undertook a review of its 1986 Residential DCP.
The review, taking two and a half years, was completed by Council’s Planning Design and Environment (PDE) group. The group included two Council strategic planners along with a number of professionals, ranging from architects to environmental planners.
“The resulting DCP pushes the traditional boundaries of development control documents while remaining practical,” said Mayor, Councillor Jean Hay.
With a number of ESD principles combined in the DCP, the main area of significance is its provision for controls during the construction phase, namely site management.
“A whole chapter of the document is dedicated to the protection of the site and surrounds during construction, including flora and fauna, natural and cultural features, stormwater, noise and vibration, waste and air pollution,” Councillor Hay said.
The revised Residential DCP was introduced in September 2001, and included the implementation of Council’s Sediment Control Environmental Education Program – Bricks and Water.
“This program has involved educating the building industry about the objectives of the DCP and their environmental obligations, and the response to this has been encouraging,” the Mayor said. “Given the size of Manly Council and our environmental policies, we are proud of the Manly Residential DCP. We look forward to seeing the results of this hard work within both our natural and built environment.”
The revised Manly Residential DCP was the winner of last year’s 2001/02 Lgov Excellence in the Environment Awards for the Built Environment category, as well as taking out the overall award.
