Planning Policy
The Development Plan is the principal document that is used by Council Planners to assess Development Applications. This plan regulates land use and guides planning decisions within the Murray Bridge Council.
The Development Plan contains zoning and land use information, specifying which uses are encouraged or discouraged in each zone. The Murray Bridge Council Development Plan also contains Objectives and Principles of Development Control (PDC) for each zone. The objectives and PDC's reflect development controls such as height of buildings, incentives for affordable housing, protection of heritage and environmental requirements. In effect, the key purpose of the Development Plan is to:
- inform the community about how an area is expected to be developed,
- inform neighbours as to the kinds of development they can expect in their neighbourhood,
- inform applicants as to the type of development that is encouraged (and discouraged) in an area,
- provide the basis against which development assessment decisions are made (the zones, maps and policies provide the detailed criteria against which development applications for the relevant area are assessed) and,
- provide the basis upon which any appeal decisions are made.
The Development Plan is reviewed from time to time, in accordance with the requirements of Section 30 in the Development Act 1993. The details of the review are summarised in the Strategic Directions Report. The Strategic Directions Report contains a Development Plan Amendment (DPA) program, outlining changes that will be made to the Development Plan over time.
The Murray Bridge Council's Development Plan was consolidated on 24 January 2019.