New Maitland City Council development guidelines will go on public exhibition after councillors voted to put the new Development Control Plan up for public comment.
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Cr Loretta Baker welcomed proposed changes to the DCP, which included a new focus on developing areas using design principles that would help prevent crime.
But she said the revised policy was a broad-ranging document.
“It’s a great plan that covers all the aspects that we want it to cover,” Cr Baker said.
The Mercury reported on Tuesday that the new DCP would allow council to assess certain new development proposals on how they would naturally deter potential criminals by using lighting, landscaping and building orientation among other design aspects.
The natural surveillance plan has received the thumbs up from Maitland police.
Cr Henry Meskauskas said there would still be a need to install CCTV cameras in the city’s trouble spots including the Rutherford shopping precinct.
He said he planned to keep fighting for funding to have CCTV cameras installed at Rutherford.
The revised policy would cover town centres beyond the Maitland and Morpeth commercial precincts.
The changes come after a spate of break-ins at central Maitland businesses earlier this year. At least 10 premises were broken into between March and May.
