(a) the area, shape or frontage of any land, the dimensions of any land, buildings or works, or the distance of any land, building or work from any specified point,
(b) the proportion or percentage of the area of a site which a building or work may occupy,
(c) the character, location, siting, bulk, scale, shape, size, height, density, design or external appearance of a building or work,
(d) the cubic content or floor space of a building,
(e) the intensity or density of the use of any land, building or work,
(f) the provision of public access, open space, landscaped space, tree planting or other treatment for the conservation, protection or enhancement of the environment,
(g) the provision of facilities for the standing, movement, parking, servicing, manoeuvring, loading or unloading of vehicles,
(h) the volume, nature and type of traffic generated by the development,
(i) road patterns,
(j) drainage,
(k) the carrying out of earthworks,
(l) the effects of development on patterns of wind, sunlight, daylight or shadows,
(m) the provision of services, facilities and amenities demanded by development,
(n) the emission of pollution and means for its prevention or control or mitigation, and
(o) such other matters as may be prescribed."
67 Accordingly, to be a development standard a provision of a planning instrument must be one "in relation to the carrying out of development, being provisions by or under which requirements are specified or standards are fixed in respect of any aspect of that development."
68 To my mind a provision in a planning instrument which specifies any numerical control of a proposed development almost certainly will be a "development standard" as defined. It will at the least be a provision fixing a requirement in respect of the identified aspect of that development. Accordingly, where a planning instrument permits the erection of a building but imposes a height control, provided the proposal is to erect a building to be used for a purpose permissible within the relevant zone, the height control will be amenable to variation under SEPP 1. If it happens that the purpose is defined by reference to a maximum height (which is possible but would be unusual) then SEPP 1 may not be utilised to relax the provision.
69 Much of the discussion of SEPP 1 in recent cases has turned upon a search to discern whether a particular provision is a "zoning requirement", sometimes referred to as a "zoning function", or is a "development standard" see Blue Mountains City Council v Laurence Browning Pty Ltd (2006) 67 NSWLR 672 and the discussion by Basten JA of the decisions in Lowy v Land and Environment Court of New south Wales (2002) 123 LGERA 179, Strathfield Municipal Council v Poynting (2001) 116 LGERA 319. At [79] of Browning Basten JA accepts the proposition that if a LEP prohibits a particular form of development in a particular zone, that provision will not generally be considered a development standard, whereas if a particular form of development is permitted with consent in the specified zone, but further and separately identified controls are imposed on such developments, the further controls may constitute development standards. His Honour said: "Self evidently, the drafter of a LEP may be able to achieve the desired result by a zoning provision, or by a development standard, the way in which it is done will be important, because of the need to distinguish a development standard from other forms of prohibition."
70 With respect to his Honour and others who have reasoned in this manner I believe that greater clarity in the language is required. Use of the word "form" masks the real object of the provision. If the use of land or building for a particular purpose is prohibited in a zone then, although a particular requirement or standard may be amenable to SEPP 1 if it makes the development one for a use which is prohibited, resort to SEPP 1 will be of no avail. But that does not mean that the relevant provision is not a development standard.
71 Basten JA criticised the two stage process of analysis discussed by Giles JA in Poynting and, in my opinion, he was correct to do so. The only question which must be answered is whether the relevant provision comes within the definition of a development standard, which requires consideration of the definition and the particular provision. It will not be answered by seeking to describe the provision as either a development standard or a zoning provision. That approach as, with respect, the majority decision in the present case illustrates is productive of error. By asking first whether the control operates as a prohibition is to ask the wrong question. Every requirement or standard amenable to SEPP 1 will be a prohibition.
72 The relevant concepts were usefully discussed by this Court in another of the earlier decisions: North Sydney Municipal Council v Mayoh Pty Ltd [No 2] (1990) & LGRA 222 particularly by Clarke JA. In that case the court held, by majority, that clause 14A(1)(a) of the North Sydney LEP 1989 which provided that a residential flat building shall not be erected on land in the relevant zone if any principal building on adjoining land was less than three stories was not a development standard. It was not a provision which specified a requirement or fixed a standard in respect of an aspect of the proposed development. Rather it prohibited development of any residential flat building on land which adjoined land on which the principal building was less than three stories. There was no relevant aspect of the proposed development which could be relieved by the application of SEPP 1.
73 The difficulties of which Ipp JA spoke in Browning have led to endeavours in some cases to categorise a provision by asking whether it relates to an "essential element" of the development. If it is concluded that it does then it has been suggested that it will not be a development standard and compliance may not be relieved by SEPP 1 (Poynting [36]).
74 With respect every numerical control on development proposed under a LEP is capable of being described as "an essential element." A height control which confines the maximum height of a building on a particular parcel of land to three stories is an essential element but without question a development standard (see that aspect of the decision in Mayoh discussed in [22] and [23] below). If however, the purposes permissible on the land incorporate a numerical control and a variation of that control will change the proposed purpose to one which is prohibited then the proposed development is not capable of being given consent - not because the numerical control is not a development standard but rather because the development of the land for the proposed purpose is prohibited.
75 In the present case the relevant land has been included within Zone No (1)(a) (Rural "A" Zone - General) under Penrith Local Environmental Plan No 201. Within that zone the use of land for the purpose of a fruit and vegetable store is prohibited. All shops (which of course includes a fruit and vegetable store) are prohibited, other than convenience stores, general stores and produce stores (clause 9(2)(c) and clause 4 of the table referred to in clause 9(1) of the LEP).
76 However, clause 41 makes special provision for the subject land. The clause contains its own definition of "floor space" and of "fruit and vegetable store." It then provides that the land may be developed for a "fruit and vegetable store" ie a building may be erected and used for that purpose, and provides that the maximum floor area of such a building is 150 sq m.
77 The provision is as follows: