FAQs

The proposed Strategic Growth Principles are a set of 10 contemporary policy statements that address themes regarding housing need, growth management considerations, efficient use of infrastructure, protection of biodiversity resources, and avoiding areas at risk from natural hazards.

Developed to guide the preparation of Council’s new Land Use Planning Scheme, City-wide Housing Strategy, and the renewal of key local planning documents, the Principles intend to:

• establish a framework to guide the preparation of the City-wide Housing Strategy.
• strengthen Council’s consideration of proponent-initiated Planning Proposals.
• reinforce Council’s growth management policies, helping support dated but still valid land use planning strategies.

Council resolved to prepare a new Land Use Planning Scheme for Shoalhaven at its Ordinary meeting held on the 28 August 2023 (MIN23.451 & MIN23.621). A component of Stage 1 of the new Scheme included preparation of an evidence-base and a set of Strategic Growth Principles to guide the preparation of a City-wide Housing Strategy. 

Council endorsed the development of a set of Strategic Principles, when setting and resolving the new Scheme:

1. Preference for urban consolidation and increased/higher densities in existing centres wherever possible.
2. Any outward expansion to be focused on cleared/unvegetated land.
3. Ability to adequately and economically deliver the development and service the needs of the community in preparing new planning schemes.
4. Ecologically sustainable development for resilient and climate-friendly design.

Building on the endorsed principles outlined above and the two existing Policy Statements within Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement (the LSPS), relating to the protection of rural and employment land, staff workshopped potential principles with Council’s Strategic Planning Working Party. Using information from previous community engagement activities and the general direction provided by the LSPS, ten proposed Strategic Growth Principles were developed.

The proposed Strategic Growth Principles were developed to provide a contemporary policy framework to guide the preparation of Council’s future City-wide Housing Strategy. This future Strategy will set objectives and actions for housing delivery, map proposed housing growth areas and identify the land use planning mechanisms to deliver a diverse range of new and appropriate housing options to meet the identified housing needs of Shoalhaven’s communities. For this reason, the proposed principles address themes including housing need, growth management considerations, efficient use of infrastructure, protection of biodiversity resources, and avoid areas at risk from natural hazards.

The proposed Principles will strengthen Council’s consideration of proponent-initiated Planning Proposals (PPs). They will provide an interim strengthening and confirmation of Council’s growth management policies helping support dated but still valid land use planning strategies. The NSW Government’s Gateway Process for PPs requires proposals to justify their strategic merit. The Principles will be a key component of the framework that proposals must be consistent with, as well as guide Council’s assessment and consideration of PPs.

In addition, the Principles will assist Council in responding to and shaping the outcome of Rezoning Reviews. This review process allows the proponent of a PP to request the Regional Planning Panel review any Council decision to not support a PP. These reviews appear to be increasing in Shoalhaven as the development industry responds to the current housing situation, with an increasing number of residential rezoning proposals on non-residential zoned land.

The proposed Strategic Growth Principles are intended to be embedded within Planning Priority 1 of Shoalhaven 2040; Council’s adopted Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS).

Addressing a broad range of topics, including housing, infrastructure and services, job creation and economic development, protection of the environment and heritage, and the character of existing towns and villages. The LSPS identifies policy statements, key matters, priorities, and actions, and establishes the overarching vision and long-term direction for land-use planning in Shoalhaven over the next 20 years.

Forming part of the hierarchy of plans that make up the NSW planning system, the LSPS will be implemented through new or adjusted local planning documents. These include the City-wide Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plan, and Development Contributions Plan. 

The LSPS already contains two Policy Statements for the protection of rural and employment land. The LSPS is a key document that PP’s must address to demonstrate consistency with local planning documents (strategic justification). The LSPS is therefore considered the most current and appropriate document for the proposed Principles to be contained in.

Council has a number of identified Urban Release Areas (URAs) that have been strategically identified within Council’s existing Structure Plans & Settlement Strategies. URAs consist of undeveloped, residentially zoned land identified to accommodate future growth and demand for residential and employment land across Shoalhaven.

The identified URAs can be viewed through Council’s online mapping and include:

• Mundamia 
• Worrigee
• Moss Vale Road South and Moss Vale Road North
• Cabbage Tree Lane 
• Crams Road
• Sussex Inlet 

The majority of future land supply for Shoalhaven is currently located within the five (5) URAs previously identified in the Nowra-Bomaderry Structure Plan (NBSP). For further information on Council’s identified URAs and indicative timeframes for development phasing, please refer to Council’s Planning for Growth in Nowra-Bomaderry Get Involved page.

At its Ordinary Meeting held on 20 May 2024, Council endorsed the public exhibition of a set of draft Strategic Growth Principles. A timeline of the relevant steps to settle the Principles is:

To stay informed about this work and the public exhibition, please subscribe to this Get Involved web page.

Please provide your feedback by completing the Online Survey by 5pm on Friday 12 July 2024.

Note: The Online Survey has been designed to provide an easy and concise response to our work on the proposed Principles. Additional written feedback is welcome and can be submitted to council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au. Please quote reference number 58417E/5.

For further information, contact Strategy Planning in Council’s City Futures Directorate on (02) 4429 5884.