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Draft Local Approvals Policy

About the project

You’re invited to review our draft Local Approvals Policy and make a submission by 2 July 2025.

Under the Local Government Act, the Local Approval Policy specifies low-impact activities that:

  • are exempt from Council approval if conducted according to the criteria in the policy. This includes a range of activities such as busking and street theatre, displaying goods for sale on the footpath area, and installing a fire place.
  • require Council approval, and the criteria used by Council to assess these applications. This includes a range of activities including hiring of community parks, events on Council-owned land, and operating food trucks.

The policy is required to be updated once every four years after Council election.

Summary of changes

Council staff have undertaken a routine review of the Local Approvals Policy and are recommending a number of changes from the last policy adopted in December 2022. 

A summary of changes to specific activities is provided in the table below.

Moveable dwellings: manufactured homes, tents, caravans and campervans

Further explanations have been provided for activities related to the Local Government (Manufactured Home Estates, Caravan Parks, Camping Grounds and Moveable Dwellings) Regulation 2021, as this area is complicated by parallel regulations in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and Local Government Act.

Public car parking

To remove uncertainty, a definition and description have been added regarding the process for when an application is required.

Busking and street theatre

Changes to the local criteria to reflect updated assessment processes and updated Environmental Protection Authority noise management standards.

Fundraising

Fundraising applications are now only considered as part of street stall applications. Therefore, 'fundraising' has been added to the existing 'street stalls on public land or public roads' activity.

Mobile vending on public land and public roads

Updates have been made to explain the differences between trading on a public road and trading on public land.

Specific submission requirements and specific conditions for approval provided for mobile vending on public roads.


Other general changes made throughout the policy include:

  • removing text that duplicates other regulations. Links to the respective regulations have been provided instead.
  • adding considerations for heritage matters to any activity that may impact on a Heritage Item or be within a Heritage Conservation Area. This includes directing an applicant to a requirement for a Heritage Exemption Application, which is required in some circumstances in addition to the Local Approval
  • modifying activity names to reflect those used in the Local Government Act
  • updating references to legislation, policies, regulations and guidelines
  • amending explanations throughout to improve readability
  • adding definitions for ‘amusement device’, ‘domestic oil heating appliance’, ‘portable appliance’, ‘public car park’ and ‘solid fuel heating appliance’ to clarify what these terms mean in the context of the policy.
See our current Local Approvals Policy (approved December 2022)

Now on public exhibition

You're invited to make a submission before 2 July 2025

Documents

FAQ

Feedback may result in changes being made to the draft Local Approvals Policy prior to a report being prepared for Council.

You will be notified again, prior to Council considering the matter, which will include a link to the Council report containing a summary of submissions and how feedback was considered.

Your submission can be as short or as long as you wish,

Ideally, you will express your level of support for the proposal and provide detailed and specific feedback. The feedback will be reviewed by staff and later presented to Council to make an informed decision.

Should multiple submissions be received from a single resident regarding this project, the feedback will be reviewed by staff and counted as one submission when reporting back to Council.

Submissions must be made in writing and received by 24 June 2025.  You can choose to:

  • Provide written feedback via the online submission form on this website
  • Email council@lakemac.nsw.gov.au with the subject heading 'Draft Local Approval Policy’
  • Write to Lake Macquarie City Council Attn: Integrated Planning, Box 1906, Hunter Region Mail Centre, NSW, 2310.

Hard copies of the draft Local Approvals Policy are available to view at all library branches.

The Local Approvals Policy outlines low-impact activities that generally require approval from Council under the Local Government Act (such as busking, manufactured homes, footway trading, outdoor dining and amusement devices), as well as activities that are exempt from approval. 

The policy is required to be updated once every four years after Council election. 

Under the Local Government Act, the Local Approvals Policy is required to be reviewed every four years following a Council election.

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Who's listening

  • Stella Fielding
    Strategic Land Use Planner