THE New South Wales Government has approved the first ever comprehensive council-wide planning controls for the Boorowa local government area, replacing existing controls that date back nearly 40 years.

According to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, which approved the plan under delegation from the Minister, the Boorowa Local Environmental Plan (LEP) provides sufficient residential, business and industrial land to encourage growth in the area, while recognising the importance of agricultural land to the region.

The Department's Executive Director of Planning Operations, Neil McGaffin, said the LEP replaced the Boorowa Interim Development Order that had been operating since 1975.

"This LEP updates the existing planning controls and brings them into the standard LEP template, to provide greater consistency in the types of zones that apply across other local government areas in NSW," Mr McGaffin said.

The Department provided $120,000 to assist the council to prepare strategies and complete mapping for the new LEP.

Key features of the new LEP include:

• The identification and zoning of significant agricultural lands that are important for Boorowa's economy;
• Zoning important natural areas within the catchment of Wyangala Dam for environmental protection; and
• Identifying land around the main town of Boorowa for some residential expansion and rural residential living.

"The new LEP has provided a framework for the council to continue to modernise its planning controls and also strikes a balance between promoting growth, protecting rural industries and conserving Boorowa's unique environmental attributes," Mr McGaffin said.

Boorowa Shire covers an area of nearly 2,600 square kilometres and is located approximately 245 kilometres west of Sydney.