Fair Trading NSW is inviting feedback on two draft Bills to modernise community schemes laws and give residents and commercial occupants more flexibility.
Fair Trading said the Community Land Management Bill 2019 and the Community Land Development Bill 2019 would align community scheme laws with the 2015 strata reforms and incorporated feedback from the implementation of those reforms.
“The Bills completely rewrite NSW community schemes laws,” Fair Trading said.
“They are aligned with the major 2015 strata scheme reforms, make community land development legislation more flexible and incorporate feedback from the implementation of the strata laws,” it said.
“We seek feedback on the drafting of both Bills and whether they give effect to the proposed reforms announced in the 2014 Community Schemes Law Reform Position Paper (the Position Paper) without any unintended consequences.”
Fair Trading said key measures in the Bills included improving transparency and accountability in the way schemes were managed; providing greater flexibility to deal with association property; simplifying dispute resolution within schemes; reducing red tape by targeting the documents needed to be lodged with a plan; and encouraging greater participation of scheme members, owners and tenants.
“People impacted include those in community, precinct and neighbourhood schemes, which also covers rural subdivisions and large closed communities,” Fair Trading said.
“There are about 1,400 community schemes operating in NSW,” it said.
Fair Trading’s 123-page draft Community Land Management Bill, including information on how to have a say, can be accessed at this PS News link and its 61-page draft Community Development Bill at this link.
