For the purposes of the Study, employment land is land zoned:

• B1 Neighbourhood Centre
• B2 Local Centre
• B3 Commercial Core
• B4 Mixed Use
• B5 Business Development
• B7 Business Park
• IN1 General Industrial
• IN2 Light Industrial
• SP2 Educational Establishment (Shellharbour TAFE)
• SP2 Health Services Facility (Shellharbour Hospital)

The Study responds to a planning priority of Council’s Local Strategic Planning Statement which is to plan for sufficient local jobs and encourage innovative employment and business sectors. The associated action of this planning priority is to prepare an Employment Lands Study to ensure there is an adequate supply of commercial and industrial zoned land to allow for local employment opportunities.

The Study:

• Provides a basis to facilitate through land use policy, a suitable contribution by Shellharbour City towards regional employment needs and employment opportunity; and

• Provides a basis to enhance employment opportunities for the Shellharbour City community.

The Study has recommendations that would be facilitated via a combination of reviewing Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan provisions and pursuing corporate initiatives.

A key finding of the Study is that Shellharbour City generally has sufficient capacity within its existing employment lands to accommodate future employment growth. However in the longer term, additional light industrial land may be needed, which could be met via development of the light industrially zoned Illawarra Regional Business Park, which adjoins the airport’s western boundary and is currently used for grazing.

The DCP refers to theShellharbour Development Control Plan. The main purpose of the DCP is to provide guidance on carrying out development that is permissible in an Environmental Planning Instrument such as State Environmental Planning Policies and Council's Local Environmental Plan. The DCP is a key document for assessing development applications.

Shellharbour Local Environmental Plan 2013 (LEP 2013) applies to most of the employment lands in Shellharbour City. Shellharbour Rural Local Environmental Plan 2004 (LEP 2004) applies to the land immediately west of the airport known as the Illawarra Regional Business Park, which contains industrial zoned land. The LEPs set out land use planning rules for different locations, including what types of businesses and industry are permitted, how high development can be and how much floor area a site can have. LEPs are key documents for assessing development applications.

The Study is not an approval for any LEP or other changes. The Study acts as a first step towards any changes to the LEP and Development Control Plan.

Any final adopted Study may mean in principle Council support for the Study’s recommended LEP and other changes.

Any formal changes to the LEP would require the preparation of a planning proposal.

Planning proposals can be prepared by Council officers or lodged by an external party with Council. The Study would form an evidence base on which relevant future planning proposals with more detailed information may be strategically justified and prepared.

A planning proposal is the process used to consider changes to land use planning rules within the LEP. The steps required to be undertaken when a planning proposal is prepared and assessed are outlined by the NSW State Government’s Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. There are a number of parts of that process that require Council approval.

If Council receives no opposing submissions from the public exhibition, then the Study will be adopted by Council.

If Council receives any opposing submissions, then these will be carefully considered and addressed in the report back to Council on the public exhibition outcomes. This may include changes to the Study.

The Study is not an approval for any LEP or other changes. The Study acts as a first step towards any changes to the LEP and Development Control Plan.

Any final adopted Study may mean in principle Council support for the Study’s recommended LEP and other changes.

Any formal changes to the LEP would require the preparation of a planning proposal.

Planning proposals can be prepared by Council officers or lodged by an external party with Council. The Study would form an evidence base on which relevant future planning proposals with more detailed information may be strategically justified and prepared.