Charles Arnold
NINE North-West councils submitted their interim planning schemes in one bundle to Local Government Minister Bryan Green on the day before the Christmas holiday break.
Cradle Coast regional planning initiative chairman and King Island councillor Charles Arnold said that the councils had worked together to submit the draft schemes before the end of 2012 as part of the statewide planning reforms.
"Each of the nine draft schemes will be checked for compliance to the statutory requirements of Tasmania for a planning scheme including planning directives and the approved Cradle Coast regional Land Use Strategy," Cr Arnold said.
The joint effort comes as three Northern councils have rejected calls from Mr Green for them to amend their draft schemes to make them compliant.
Cr Arnold said that submission of the draft scheme started the next part of the planning reform process, which could take up to six months to complete.
"It begins a formal process of assessment by the minister and the Tasmanian Planning Commission, which may take between four and six months," he said.
The North-West council schemes are the first to be delivered to the government for assessment as a regional bundle.
"The assessment could identify issues for which any or all the Cradle Coast councils are required to make changes to the draft schemes," Cr Arnold said.