LAKE MACQUARIE Improving townships T
here have been some signifi cant improvements to our town centres over recent years.
T e type of development allowed
in these areas has an impact on their overall character, utility, and therefore, ability to compete against other centres. Whether it is private or public money invested, if the outcome is not good, it can take many years to correct. To help guide development over an extended period, the council makes use of development control plans (DCPs). A DCP for the town centres of
Belmont, Charlestown, Warners Bay, Cardiff , Toronto, Morisset and Swansea, called the draft town centres DCP 2012, is currently on public exhibition until Monday, June 4. I encourage anyone who has an interest in the future of their town centre area to provide feedback on the development controls being proposed. Striking a balance between
the environmental, social and economic impacts of development. T e draft town centres DCP
2012 is available for viewing at
lakemac.com.au, at the council’s headquarters or at Lake libraries.
all council matters:
lakemac.com.au
MATTERS by Cr Greg Piper
T
www.newcastlepost.com.au NEWCASTLE
MATTERS by Cr John Tate
No. 2 about to open
he redevelopment of No. 2 Sportsground is complete and the council will offi cially open the $7.25
million facility this Sunday, May 20. Community members are invited to join in the celebrations, with a great line-up of entertainment planned to mark the special occasion. Kicking off at 11am, the event will
feature a marching band, a variety of street performers, demonstration games by junior sporting teams and a rugby union skills course. In addition, a number of
sporting celebrities from the Wallabies, Knights and Jets will be in attendance, giving fans the opportunity to get photos and autographs. Acknowledgement must go
to the federal government for contributing $2 million to the project. T anks also to Newcastle and Hunter Rugby Union (NHRU) for being instrumental in the design and construction of the new sporting complex. T e organisation has contributed around $100,000 to architectural costs and, with the assistance of Daracon and the Wanderers, helped save the council more than $200,000 for earth works.
all council matters:
newcastle.nsw.gov.au
Eye on animals: Move to limit unwanted pet deaths
are among the recommendations of a state government review of companion animals. T e government’s companion
A
animals taskforce, chaired by Charlestown MP Andrew Cornwell, has released a discussion paper, seeking community input on future pet policies in NSW, including ways to reduce the number of cats and dogs being put to death in pounds. Local Government Minister Don
Page said the taskforce represented the government’s commitment to focus on poor pet breeding practices such as “puppy farms”, to increase microchipping, desexing and lifetime registration of pets, and generally to crack down on poor pet industry practices. “Recent fi gures show that in the past
fi ve years, 150,000 dogs and cats were euthanased in NSW pounds. Of the animals that arrive at pounds each year, about 33 per cent of dogs and nearly 70 per cent of cats are euthanased – about 15,000 dogs and 15,000 cats a year.” T e taskforce
found no consistent planning guidelines applied to breeding, boarding or shelter
THE STATE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO CUT THE NUMBER OF IMPOUNDED PETS BEING KILLED
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breeder licensing system, increasing cat and dog registration fees and easing the way for renters to have pets
constructions across the state, meaning that there were varying applications of the planning development processes and compliance with standards. On the issue of renters, pet-unfriendly
rental accommodation and strata- titled housing (whether owned or rented) was found to contribute to the surrender of owned pets, and appeared to be a signifi cant factor inhibiting the adoption of companion animals from pounds and shelters. Among the other suggestions are
mandatory listing of an animal’s microchip number or breeder number in all cat and dog advertisements and providing a registration fee rebate for owners who desex animals within three months of them being registered. T e discussion paper is available for
download from the division of local government website at
dlg.nsw.gov.au /CATaskforce. Submissions close on July 1.
LOCAL NEWS
The Newcastle Post
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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