FAQs
- 1:1 for Beach Street Village centre which is within Zone B2 Local Centre,
- 1:1 for River Street centre which is within Zone B4 Mixed Use and
- 0.5:1 for Solitary Islands Way centre which is within Zone B6 Enterprise Corridor
- using a floor space ratio; or
- using a combination of planning rules, such as maximum building heights, boundary setbacks, building setbacks, landscaping and private open space.
- height controls determine the number of storeys in the building;
- setbacks determine the relationship and space between buildings and from boundaries;
- landscaping ensures that enough of a site is set aside for planting and open space; and
- separation controls ensure good privacy is achieved.
Will this amendment result in taller buildings?
No. The extensive community consultation undertaken during the development of the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan provides significant legal weight to the new height controls that were introduced within the Woolgoolga town centre.
The maximum building height limits within the town centre were amended on 26 November 2020 to align with the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan and community aspirations (i.e. reduced from 15.5m to 11m - except for 4 key corner sites).
It is unlikely that significant variations to building heights in the town centre would be supported, based on the recent changes to the building height controls and the extensive community feedback provided as part of the process.
This differs from areas within the City of Coffs Harbour Local Government Area that have not been subject to such a comprehensive community engagement and masterplanning process.
Current floor space ratio’s in the three business precincts in the town centre are 1:1 and 0.5:1, which limit buildings to 1-2 storeys, which is inconsistent with the vision of the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan (i.e. generally three storeys).
Floor space ratio controls do not work well where there is a significant variation in lot sizes and shapes and land uses (see Floor Space Ratio Fact Sheet).
A better solution is to use a combination of planning controls – please refer to the Floor Space Ratio Fact Sheet or FAQ below - How do you ensure that buildings are appropriate in size and scale?
What is proposed?
The planning proposal seeks to amend Coffs Harbour LEP 2013 to remove floor space ratio controls from the three business centres within the Woolgoolga Town Centre to support the intent of the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan.
What is Floor Space Ratio?
Floor space ratio is the relationship between the total gross floor area of a building in relation to the total site area it is on. It is calculated by dividing the total floor area of a building by the total area of the land (or site area). Floor space ratio is one way to define the size of a building and control the intensity of development on a site.
The maximum allowed floor space ratio for individual sites is often shown on a floor space ratio map, as a number such as 0.4:1; 0.5:1; 1:1 etc.
The legal term is defined in clause 4.5 of Coffs Harbour Local Environmental Control Plan 2013.
Please see the fact sheet in the documents library for further information, including an explanation of what gross floor means, the benefits and weaknesses of using floor space ratio as a planning control as well as supporting images.
What are the existing Floor Space Ratio Controls in Woolgoolga
The existing floor space ratios for the three business centres within the Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan boundary are:
Why is the City proposing to remove Floor Space Ratio Controls?
The Woolgoolga Town Centre Masterplan (Masterplan) was adopted by the City in February 2018. The Masterplan contains a number of recommendations and actions in order to the achieve its vision, including the need to undertake a detailed floor space ratio analysis for the three business centres.
The City engaged consultants Smith and Tzannes to undertake a floor space ratio analysis of the three business centres within the Woolgoolga town centre. This analysis identified that the current floor space ratio controls act as a significant constraint to achieving the Masterplan’s vision. The analysis explains that this due to the wide variety of potential land uses, densities and site dimensions in each of the three business centres.
In light of this, the analysis recommends that floor space ratio controls be removed from Coffs Harbour LEP 2013 for the three business centres in Woolgoolga.
How do you ensure buildings are appropriate in size and scale?
The two most common ways to control the size and scale of a building are:
Floor Space Ratio: A floor space ratio provides a rough tool to limit the floor area of a building in relation to its site area, however it does not directly control the bulk or scale of a building itself and does not provide a good indicator of the final form of a building. Buildings of different heights and footprints can have the same floor space ratio, yet can result in different design outcomes. Two buildings with the same floor space ratio can result in different design outcomes in terms of scale, character, setbacks and landscaped area. With this approach, there is no consistency in the design outcome.
Combination of Planning Rules: A combination of planning rules (i.e. maximum building heights, boundary setbacks, building setbacks, landscaping and private open space) can be a more efficient and effective planning tool in certain situations than floor space ratio.
A combination of planning rules can be applied consistently to a planning area regardless of the size or shape of lots, as opposed to floor space ratio that needs to be site specific to be effective.
The best way to ensure that a site is not overdeveloped is to provide robust planning rules that are specific to an outcome. For example:
A combination of these controls have a direct relationship to the physical outcome on the site.