Background

In 2014, Shellharbour City Council introduced the Shellharbour Village Town Centre Plan to refresh the heart of the Village, creating a vibrant, accessible, and welcoming space for all. The plan focused on:

  • Activate the Village Link - Make it easier to walk around and add fun things like markets and pop-up events near Addison Street and the foreshore.
  • Rejuvenate the High Street - Improve shopfronts and encourage outdoor dining and night-time activity. (In the Town Centre Plan high street refers to Addison Street)
  • Reveal Addison Street - Upgrade the street with better materials, trees, seating, lighting and safer crossings to make it more pedestrian- friendly.
  • Connect the Foreshore - Improve connection between the town centre and the foreshore with new paths, better access, plan areas and shares spaces.
  • Reinforce the Town Centre - Encourage new development around car parks to bring more people into the area.

We’re reflecting on our progress and continuing to bring the plan to life with more improvements to come.

Progress so far

Several key upgrades have been completed, including:

  • Streetscape improvements
  • Little Park playground upgrade
  • New footpaths and street furniture
  • Road upgrades, including 22 speed cushions, a new roundabout at Addison and Wentworth Streets, and a change to the speed limit for improved safety
  • Public art (Murals)

We understand that people love the Village, and as the Town Centre Plan continues to unfold, we want to ensure we’re meeting the needs of the community.

Where to next?

Your feedback is important to us as we move forward with further improvements, we’re excited to continue shaping Shellharbour Village into a place everyone can enjoy for years to come.

As we move into the next stage, we're introducing four focus areas—The Shops, Civic Heart, Village Link, and Recreation—that will shape future improvements.

We want to get you thinking about how you use and interact with these zones. Reflect on how they work together and where improvements could be made to enhance the Village.

To share your ideas, please complete our short survey, which will help guide the next phase of development.

Frequency Asked Questions

A Town Centre Plan is a guide for how a town’s main area should grow and improve over time. It looks at things like roads, buildings, parking, parks, shops, and public spaces to make sure everything works well together.

The plan helps create a town centre that is easy to get around, attractive, and a great place for people to live, work, and visit. It can include ideas for better footpaths, more seating, new trees and plants, improved traffic flow, and spaces where the community can gather.

The project will focus on four key zones, with updated descriptions shaped by feedback from Stage 1 community engagement.


The Shops - A mix of uses requiring short term parking spaces. There is a desire for increased outdoor dining and improved walkability.

Civic Heart - The epicentre of Addison Street, hosting the theatre, existing library and information centre. The streetscape and plaza could be enhanced, with additional public benefit.

Village Link - Acting as the social spine, drawing people from Addison St to the Foreshore with a strong visual link. There is a desire for increased outdoor dining, and greater walkability.

Recreation - A significant place of recreation and relaxation, with the community wanting improved access to and use of this space.

Shellharbour Village is getting a streetscape upgrade because we (Council) believe the current design doesn’t fully meet the needs of the community. We want to create a vibrant, welcoming, and accessible Village Centre that suits everyone—residents, businesses, and visitors.

The improvements will be based on community feedback, as well as guidance from the 2014 Shellharbour Village Town Centre Plan and the Shellharbour City Council Community Strategic Plan. This upgrade is about making sure the space works better for social, economic, and environmental needs now and into the future.

Your feedback helps Council understand what’s most important to the community and will guide the proposed streetscape improvements. As the project moves forward, we’ll check in with the community again to make sure the plans reflect your needs and priorities.

Streetscape is what you see when you look down a street — including the footpaths, trees, streetlights, benches, signs, shopfronts, and how the buildings and public spaces all look and feel together. It's the overall appearance and design of a street.

A big part of this project is preserving and celebrating the unique heritage of Shellharbour Village. We want to enhance the village’s charm while making it a more enjoyable place to visit. The upgrades will focus on improving public spaces, making it easier to explore, and highlighting the village’s history in a way that locals and visitors can appreciate.