What is being built near you, and who decides? We read the major projects listed on the NSW Planning Portal for each local government area, and the plans and applications councils put on public exhibition.
Since 1 July a planning proposal must not rezone rural land for housing or jobs unless the land is an identified urban growth area or the Planning Secretary accepts a justification. In a shire about 95 per cent zoned for primary production, Gwydir's report says its towns are largely landlocked.
Once certified, the RFS map Uralla Shire endorsed will make nearly all land outside its developed towns bush fire prone, because grasslands now count. It replaces a 2009 map.
