Northern Beaches Council has put a major overhaul of local planning rules on public exhibition. The purpose is to merge four separate sets of planning controls, inherited from the old Manly, Pittwater and Warringah councils, into a single Local Environmental Plan (LEP) and Development Control Plan (DCP) for the whole local government area. A LEP sets the rules for land development, while a DCP supports the LEP and provides more detailed guidance for new development. The draft documents, on exhibition until 30 August, are the product of more than five years of technical work and community consultation. They are intended to give residents, property owners and developers one clear rulebook instead of four. One of the major changes under the draft LEP is the allowance of dual...