Jerberra and Nebraska Estates - Proposed Residual C2 Environmental Conservation Land Acquisition Policy

Shoalhaven City Council is seeking feedback from landowners on a proposed policy that would allow Council to purchase ‘residual’ land zoned C2 Environmental Conservation (C2 land) in Jerberra Estate and Nebraska Estate (if the Nebraska Estate Planning Proposal is finalised).

Please see Figure 1 for the location of these Estates.

Figure 1 - Site Location

Feedback from landowners will inform and assist preparation of the draft policy which will be reported to Council when meetings resume after the 2021 Local Government elections.

Landowners will be advised when the policy proposal is expected to be reported to Council for further consideration.

Background

Under Council's current Policy - Small Lot Rural Subdivisions - Dealing with Unpaid Rates and charges, Council will accept land in Jerberra and Nebraska Estates in lieu of unpaid rates but will not purchase the land.

Council is proposing a new policy that would allow the purchase of certain land zoned C2 Environmental Conservation, if requested by the owner, in Jerberra Estate and Nebraska Estate (if/when the land is rezoned). Land would only be purchased on a voluntary basis (willing seller / willing buyer) for the unimproved value less any outstanding rates/charges and any clean-up costs (if clean-up is required). Offering to purchase the undevelopable/residual C2 properties in each Estate will help to resolve the long-term tenure and management of this land. These landowners will otherwise have very limited options for using and/or selling their land. Further more, the land’s environmental values will not be as secure while it remains in fragmented private ownership. Any land purchased under the new policy would be retained as bushland and managed for conservation in perpetuity.

The cost of purchasing the land would be funded by the net profits from the sale of any Council-owned land in the same Estate that either has a ‘dwelling entitlement’ or is able to form part of a larger developable parcel. Ongoing management costs would be met from a variety of sources including any government funding that is able to be secured in the future and/or any surplus funds from the sale of Council's development land in the same Estate.

The new policy will also improve the eligibility of the proposed new Nebraska Estate planning controls for a biodiversity savings provision, i.e. Clause 34A of the Biodiversity Conservation (Savings and Transitional) Regulation 2017. This would benefit the owners of the developable land in Nebraska Estate as it does in Jerberra and Verons Estates.

For further information, please see the FAQs published in the Document Library on this web page.

For more information on the history of each estate please see the Newsfeed below.

What is residual C2 land?

Residual C2 Environmental Conservation land is land zoned C2 in the Jerberra Estate or proposed to be zoned C2 in the Nebraska Estate (if/ when the land is rezoned) that is so environmentally constrained that it is unsuitable for development. It is land that does not/ will not have a dwelling entitlement and nor is it proposed for consolidation into a larger development parcel. To see if your property is identified as residual C2 Environmental Conservation land please see Figure 2 (Jerberra Estate) and Figure 3 (Nebraska Estate) in the 'Photo Gallery' on this web page.

Have Your Say

Thank you for your feedback

The feedback period closed on Sunday, 25 July 2021

All landowners will be advised when the policy proposal is expected to be reported to Council for further consideration.