STAFFED INFORMATION BOOTH 

Submission protocols 

How will submissions be accepted?

Submissions will be accepted according to Council’s existing policies, and in accordance with Council Values. The means by which submissions will be received will include:

Standards for acceptable submissions

Submissions must be made in writing during the exhibition period and are required to specify the grounds of the objection to the draft Plan or Plans. In order to be considered acceptable, the following minimum requirements must be met. The submission must:

Late submissions

An application can be made to Council to lodge a submission after the close of the public exhibition. The application must be made to Council prior to the close of the public exhibition period. Valid justification for the need for an extension must be provided. The final determination of a request to lodge a late submission will be made by the General Manager.

Partial lodgement

Submissions should be complete at time of lodgement with all attachments included. Where identified, partial lodgement of submissions will not be accepted. Where missing components of a submission are not identified until the evaluation period commences (such as an attachment omitted from an electronic submission), the submission will be treated as complete, despite the omission. Council staff will not pursue submitters to provide omitted content or attachments.

Offensive content

No submission containing offensive content will be accepted. Offensive content is defined as, but not limited to, containing material that is defamatory, in breach of the law, pornographic, sexually explicit, an incitement to violence or racially vilifying.

Petitions

Petitions will be accepted provided all names, addresses and signatures are legible and the principal submitter (petition organiser) is clearly identified within the petition. Petitions will be recorded as one submission, irrespective of how many signatories are included. Any reference to a submission in this Plan, or subsequent material regarding the draft Plans, automatically includes petitions.

Pro-forma content

Submissions identified to contain pro-forma content will be accepted provided that each submission meets the minimum requirements. Pro-forma submissions will be recorded individually and will not be treated as a petition.

Pecuniary interest

Submissions made by employees of Council who are residents or an owner of land within the Auburn local government area will be accepted provided the submission meets the minimum requirements to be acceptable and that the submitter declares the pecuniary interest. Any submission found to be from an employee of Council who is a resident or an owner of land from within the Auburn local government area that does not declare a pecuniary interest will only be accepted at the discretion of the General Manager.

Privacy

All submissions are subject to a request for access by interested persons under section 12 of the Local Government Act 1993 or under the Freedom of Information Act 1989. If such a request is received, the submission(s) – including names and addresses of submitters – will be made available for inspection.

A request for personal information to be suppressed by Council can be made under section 58 of the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Council will consider these requests in accordance with this Act. The final determination of such requests will be made by the General Manager.

The information contained within submissions is intended for use by Council staff only. The information will be retained by Auburn City Council and stored within its central records system under the control of its Business and Finance Department.

Political donations or gifts

All persons making a submission are required to state any reportable political donations or gifts that they may know, or ought to reasonably know, were made by an associate. A form for disclosure of political donations or gifts, titled ‘Political Donations Disclosure from Auburn Council’, is available on Council’s website at auburn.nsw.gov.au.

Third party representation

Submissions made on behalf of a landowner will be accepted from a third party provided the relationship of the third party is declared within the submission and the minimum standards for acceptable submissions have been met. The third party will be considered the principal submitter.

An example of a third party submitter declaration would include “XYZ Planning and Development Consultants Pty Ltd have been engaged by Smith Holdings Ltd, owners of 1 Any Street, Auburn to prepare and lodge this submission”.

Handling of unacceptable submissions

The following table details how Council will handle submissions for the Draft Auburn LEP 2009 and Draft Auburn DCP 2009 that are deemed to be unacceptable in accordance with the standards contained in this Plan.

To view current DA's on exhibiton or make a submission click on the following link: DA's on Exhibition.

At the Council meeting on 19 August, 2009 Council resolved to place the Draft Auburn Town Centre Public Domain Plan August 2009 and revised Draft Outdoor Dining Policy on public exhibition.

The purpose of the Public Domain Plan is to set out the design concept for the publicly owned spaces, including streets and places such as parks, plazas and squares. The Draft Auburn Town Centre Public Domain Plan aims to create quality public open space for people within the Auburn Town Centre, particularly places to sit, rest and socialise and includes a sound and detailed implementation plan.

In addition, the Draft Outdoor Dining Policy will provide procedures and guidelines to encourage the establishment of outdoor dining in designated public domain areas adjacent to licensed restaurants.

Exhibition Details

The Draft Auburn Town Centre Public Domain Plan and revised Draft Outdoor Dining Policy may be viewed at Council’s Customer Services Centre, Civic Place, 1 Susan Street, Auburn, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. These documents may also be viewed at the relevant Council Libraries, during standard opening hours, except Public Holidays, and on Council’s website www.auburn.nsw.gov.au during the exhibition period from Tuesday 1 September 2009 to Tuesday 29 September 2009.

To find out more about the Draft Public Domain Plan and Draft Outdoor Dining Policy, please visit Council’s information stall between 11am and 2pm on Monday 31 August – 4 September 2009 at the Auburn Central Forecourt or attend our information workshop which will be held on:

Wednesday 9^th September, 2009
5.30pm – 7.30pm
Town Hall, Sommerville Room, Auburn Civic Centre
Auburn City Council
Cnr Queen & Susan Street, Auburn

Submissions

Submissions should be made in writing during the exhibition period. All submissions should have a clear indication of the name, address and telephone number, e-mail and the contact details of the respondent during business hours. Anonymous submissions will not be considered. All submission to be addressed to:-

The General Manager
Auburn Council
Post Office Box 118
AUBURN NSW 1835

Should you have any further enquiries, please contact Bianca Chiu in Council’s Planning and Environment Department on 9735 1222.