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The draft Shoalhaven Community Participation Plan for Planning and Development Matters (CPP) is now on public exhibition and the community is invited to provide feedback until Friday 14 March 2025.
The draft CPP outlines how Council will engage with the community on matters relating specifically to land use planning and development within Shoalhaven. It sets out community participation opportunities and explains how and when communities will be involved when Council exercises its land use planning and development approval functions.
The CPP will form part of, and be included in, Council’s broader Community Engagement Strategy 2025-2029, which was exhibited throughout November-December 2024 and January 2025.
The preparation, publication and review of the CPP is a legal requirement for Council under the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment (EP&A) Act 1979.
On finalisation, this CPP will replace Council’s existing CPP (Click here to view this document), which was adopted by Council in 2019.
The draft CPP will also simplify Council’s related policy framework by incorporating the relevant requirements from Council’s existing Community Consultation Policy for Development Applications (including Subdivision). This policy is intended to be rescinded on finalisation of the CPP.
The draft CPP is being exhibited in accordance with the requirements of the EP&A Act and can be viewed here or in the Document Library on this page.
You are invited to review the draft Community Participation Plan for Planning and Development and provide feedback in one of the following ways:
1. Make a written submission. Please quote Council reference number 60605E in all submissions.
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Via the documents on exhibition webpage.
- Post: Chief Executive Officer, Shoalhaven City Council, PO Box 42, Nowra, NSW, 2541
- Email: council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au
All submissions must be received by 5pm Friday 14 March 2025
2. Complete the online survey here
Hard copies of the document can be found at the following locations.
- Nowra City Administration Centre (36 Bridge Road, Nowra)
- Ulladulla Branch Office (14 Deering Street, Ulladulla)
Public exhibition closes at 5pm on Friday 14 March 2025.
On finalisation, the CPP will be included within Council’s broader Community Engagement Strategy 2025-2029 and will be published on Council’s website and the NSW Planning Portal.
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Thank you to everyone who provided feedback during the public exhibition period on the Draft Community Engagement Strategy and Framework.
Throughout the consultation period, the page was visited by 263 individuals, resulting in 13 survey responses and 7 written submissions.
When asked about their satisfaction with the draft strategy, 70% of respondents indicated they were either neutral or happy.
What we heard
- The need for additional key terms or phrases to be added to the glossary for further clarity.
- Consider leveraging existing community events that attract youth, such as sporting events, to engage with the younger generation.
- Review the photos and refine certain word choices throughout the document.
- Ensure all relevant information is included in the appendix.
Next steps
- The final document will be revised with consideration given to all feedback provided and any necessary changes made.
- The revised document will be formalised and replace the existing Community Engagement Strategy (2022-2026) on Council’s website.
- An updated Community Participation Plan will be incorporated into the revised strategy once consultation closes, and it’s adopted by Council early this year.
- Roll-out of an education program for Council employees.
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The Draft Community Engagement Strategy and Framework is now on public exhibition with the community invited to provide feedback until Friday 31 January 2025.
The strategy includes a framework that identifies stakeholder roles and responsibilities and determines when, how and who we engage.
It also provides guidance to Council workers to ensure genuine community engagement is undertaken consistently and to a high standard.
The strategy and framework have been prepared in consultation with communities and staff who are directly involved in the delivery of engagement activities.
The draft document can be viewed here or through the document library on this webpage.
You’re invited to review the draft and provide your feedback in one of the following ways:
Hard copies of the document can be found at the following locations:
- Nowra Administration Building
- Ulladulla Branch Office
- Shoalhaven Libraries including Nowra Library, Milton Library, Sanctuary Point Library and Civic Centre Ulladulla.
Consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 31 January 2025.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in our survey about the Community Engagement Framework. We would also like to thank the Aboriginal Advisory Committee, Youth Advisory Committee and Inclusion & Access Advisory Committee for providing their invaluable insight into how we can best reach and engage with their communities.
Aboriginal Advisory Committee:
Engage with the Aboriginal community early in the consultation process.
The best way to engage with them is by visiting meetings or events held with local Aboriginal businesses and by having a yarn with them.
Youth Advisory Committee:
Environmental issues, recreational precincts and facility design & improvements are topics that mean the most to them and are projects that they want to have influence over.
When consulting with young people, their preferred method is via a survey, social media and in-person workshops.
Use existing channels at school to spread the word that consultation opportunities are available, provide opportunities during school hours for feedback and ensure information is shared at a literacy level of a young person.
Inclusion & Access Advisory Committee:
Are interested in having influence over facility design & improvements and infrastructure projects.
In-person consultation is the preferred method of engagement but there are a range of tools to keep in mind. Such as transportation options, support staff, accessible facilities (such as ramps and toilets) and various delivery methods.
We had a total of 1,578 visitors to the project page and received 509 survey responses from both the online Get Involved survey and paper surveys available in Council facilities across the Shoalhaven.
The overwhelming majority of responses were from people aged over 50, comprising 75% of the total respondents.
Some of the ways you currently receive information from Council are:
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Rates notice
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Council website
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Social media
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Word of mouth
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Community Consultative Bodies
When Council seeks your feedback on projects and initiatives, you prefer to be informed via:
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Social media
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Community newsletter
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Council website
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Rates notice
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Community Consultative Bodies
You indicated that you would like to provide your feedback through:
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Online surveys
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Emailing council directly
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Attending drop-in sessions or pop-up stalls
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Face-to-face workshops
The top three topics you are most interested in when providing feedback on projects are:
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Local Development Planning and Construction Projects
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Roadworks
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Council Services and Fees
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A workshop will be held with the Community Consultative Bodies at the end of their next executive meeting in May.
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We will review all feedback in detail and draft a framework with the Community Engagement Strategy.
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The draft framework will be put on public exhibition in November for further community input.
We appreciate your active participation and look forward to continuing our work together to enhance our communication and consultation activities. Subscribe to this project page for more updates and opportunities to get involved.
Draft Community Participation Plan for Planning and Development Matters
