New South Wales Consolidated Acts

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT ACT 1979 - SECT 5.8

5.8 Publicity and examination of environmental impact statements

(cf previous s 113)

(1) A determining authority shall give notice in the prescribed form and manner that a copy of an environmental impact statement prepared by or submitted to it, as referred to in section 5.7(1), may be inspected at--

(a) the office of the determining authority and the Department at any time during ordinary office hours, and

(b) such other premises operated or controlled by them respectively and at such times as may be prescribed,

within such period, being not less than 30 days after the day on which the notice is given, as may be specified in the notice.

(2) Any person may, during the period specified in the notice, inspect the environmental impact statement (except any part thereof the publication of which would, in the opinion of the determining authority, be contrary to the public interest by reason of its confidential nature or for any other reason) and may within that period make submissions in writing to the determining authority with respect to the activity to which the environmental impact statement relates.

(3) A determining authority shall, as soon as practicable and not less than 21 days before carrying out an activity or granting an approval in relation to an activity, being an activity referred to in section 5.7(1), furnish to the Planning Secretary a copy of any submissions made to it under subsection (2) with respect to the activity.

(3A) The determining authority must, at that time, also forward copies of those submissions to the Environment Protection Authority if the activity is a scheduled activity under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 .

(5) Except where the Minister has requested that a review be held by the Independent Planning Commission, the Planning Secretary may examine or cause to be examined in the Department an environmental impact statement furnished in accordance with section 5.7(2) and any submissions made with respect to the activity to which the statement relates under subsection (2) and shall forward, as soon as practicable to the relevant determining authority, a report containing the findings of that examination together with any recommendations arising therefrom.

(6) After the report referred to in subsection (5) has been forwarded to the determining authority, the Planning Secretary shall make public that report.

(7) Any public authority or body to which an appeal may be made by or under any Act in relation to the activity the subject of an examination carried out under subsection (5) shall, in deciding the appeal, consider and take into account the report forwarded to the determining authority under that subsection.

(8) In this section,
"environmental impact statement" includes a fauna impact statement and a species impact statement.