The Draft Strategy recognises Shellharbour's rural lands provide scenic, social, economic, recreational and environmental benefits to the community and wider region.

Our community has told us they value the scenic qualities and character of rural lands in our region, and want to protect and maintain these areas into the future. To do this, the Draft Strategy provides clarity around appropriate rural (and adjoining) land uses, which can assist to enhance rural amenity and viability into the future, and reaffirm the importance of productive rural lands in Shellharbour.

The Draft Strategy identifies two key areas of rural land within Shellharbour City LGA. The Western Rural Lands located within Tongarra, Calderwood, Tullimbar, Yellow Rock and within parts of Albion Park; and Eastern Rural Lands at Croome and Dunmore.

Specifically, the land zones considered within the Draft Strategy include:

• RU1 Primary Production
• RU2 Rural Landscape
• RU6 Transition
• R5 Large Lot Residential
• C2 Environmental Conservation
• C3 Environmental Management
• C4 Environmental Living

The Draft Rural Lands Strategy will inform Council's land use planning to achieve the desired future character and amenity of Shellharbour City's rural lands. The Strategy will be implemented by Council, Agencies and landowners; these important stakeholders in rural land management can assist to shape the future of our rural lands.

Residents within Shellharbour local government area who own land in the following land zones will receive letters from Council, inviting feedback on the Draft Strategy:

• RU1 Primary Production
• RU2 Rural Landscape
• RU6 Transition
• R5 Large Lot Residential
• C2 Environmental Conservation
• C3 Environmental Management
• C4 Environmental Living

Council can utilise the land use zones and uses within Shellharbour Local Environmental Plans to maintain rural land values and ensure viability of rural industry. For rural landowners and stakeholders such as primary producers, the Strategy makes recommendations on appropriate and diversified land uses. Other opportunities for landowners include more support to maintaining rural values, promote appropriate economic development and enhancement of natural areas through biodiversity efforts, watercourse and soil health management.

The Draft Strategy sets out six overarching priorities; together they provide a holistic approach to managing Shellharbour's rural land:

1. Establish a defendable rural boundary.

2. Establish an appropriate urban to rural transition area to the west of our City.

3. Promote a sustainable and resilient rural economy.

4. Protect biodiversity and waterways.

5. Protect the scenic quality and heritage significance of our rural lands.

6. Ensure housing in rural areas is compatible with long-term planning objectives.

These priorities, and how we're planning on achieving them, are outlined in more detail on pages 23-41 of the Strategy.

Preparation of the Draft Strategy considered the current policy context and included a comprehensive review of planning controls to determine current and future opportunities for dwellings within rural zones.

Shellharbour LEP 2013 permits the establishment of single dwelling houses and dual occupancies (attached) with consent in RU1, RU2, RU6, C3 and C4 zones if minimum lot size requirements are achieved. Single dwelling houses and dual occupancies (attached) are still the preferred dwelling in rural zones.

Generally, the Draft Rural Land Strategy does not identify additional land for greenfield housing in the LGA.

This is because Shellharbour City Council's Local Housing Strategy has identified Shellharbour's current planning controls can adequately provide for the housing demand projected for Shellharbour to 2041. There are considerable opportunities for additional populations to be accommodated within Calderwood; there is also opportunity for increasing dwelling densities within established suburbs, especially within and around our town centres. Council is also preparing a Shellharbour City Centre Master Plan to unlock housing supply and business opportunities within the CBD. As a result, the Draft Rural Lands Strategy does not identify additional land for greenfield housing in the LGA.

That being said, future residential development potential and transition areas were considered during the Strategy's preparation. The Draft Strategy does highlight potential future development opportunities within one rural property with frontage adjoining North Macquarie Road. Any proposal to rezone land would need to go through a separate and extensive process set out by NSW Planning legislation. This process includes public consultation and usually requires decisions to be made by the elected Council. The final decision to rezone land rests with the NSW Minister for Planning.

Yes, in 2023 we asked our rural landowners and wider community what they think the future of Shellharbour's rural lands should look like. We hosted online feedback and held two community drop-in sessions in June 2023 to make sure the community's concerns and aspirations for rural lands are understood. The feedback we received has informed this Draft Strategy.

Now, we're asking the community to have their say on how we went with this Draft and let us know if we need to make any changes before it can be adopted by Council.

Once the Public Exhibition closes, Council staff will review all the submissions we receive and decide if any changes need to be made to the Draft before it can be adopted by Council. Once adopted, the Rural Lands Strategy will be our guiding document for how we manage rural land.

We'll publish the results of what we heard and the final project outcome here on Let's Chat. You can 'follow' this project at the top of the page to be notified of key updates.