Bundaberg Regional Council has provided its formal responses to the 314 submissions it received during the public notification of the proposed new planning scheme. Letters explaining how Council has considered the submissions arrived in the mail today. Each submission, including the more than 30 that InsiteSJC made on behalf of clients, has been responded to in detail.
While not all changes that we requested in our submissions have been accepted, there have been some significant 'wins' for our clients through improvements and changes. We congratulate Bundaberg Regional Council and its staff on their pragmatic approach to dealing with submissions.
We also understand that Council accepts the industry's view that it would be better to get the new scheme operational, even if there are still possible further improvements. This means that there is likely to be a round of scheme amendments in 2016.
The proposed planning scheme is currently being considered by the Planning Minister in the 'second State-interests check'. Council anticipates that it will receive Ministerial approval in the next couple of months which would then allow the new scheme to commence early in the second half of 2015.