Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 Issues Paper November 2005 Whitworth Consulting Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper A vision for the Shoalhaven “We will work together in the Shoalhaven to foster a safe, attractive place for people to live, work, stay and play; where growth, development and environmental protection are managed to provide a unique and relaxed lifestyle.” Shoalhaven City Council, Cityplan Whitworth Consulting Page 2 Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper Contents What is Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 ....................................................................................................... 4 Challenges and opportunities for the Shoalhaven ............................................................................ 5 ESD and Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 ..................................................................................................... 6 Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 and the Coastal Policy ............................................................................. 6 Growth management issues to be addressed by Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 .................................. 7 The focused growth development option ......................................................................................... 11 Actions to support Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 .................................................................................. 13 Issues for discussion .......................................................................................................................... 13 More information? ............................................................................................................................... 14 Whitworth Consulting Page 3 Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper What is Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 is a strategy to manage and direct the growth of the City of Shoalhaven for the next 25 years. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 will be used by Shoalhaven City Council to set the strategic planning and development controls for the Shoalhaven. This Issues Paper is the first step in the production of Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 and helps to set out the issues and possible development options that Council will use to prepare its planning and growth management strategies. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 is partly funded by the NSW State Government under the Planning Reform Program. Both Shoalhaven City Council and the NSW Government will use Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 to set the strategic direction for a new Local Environmental Plan to replace the existing 1985 plan. The process to prepare Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 and to review the local environmental plan is shown below. Timeline Issues Paper Community and Shoalhaven Community and Draft Local (this document) agency Beyond 2030 agency Environmental consultation (Strategy) consultation Plan Background Supporting Paper plans and strategies It is important to realise that this issues paper and the proposed growth management strategy that comes from Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 does not rezone land. A separate process will be required for the rezoning of land which will need to comply with the requirements of State Government legislation. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 will set out the strategy used to make the zoning decisions. This Issues Paper has been based on a more comprehensive Background Report setting out the key assumptions and analyses used to prepare Shoalhaven Beyond 2030. Whitworth Consulting Page 4 Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper Challenges and opportunities for the Shoalhaven The Shoalhaven is a special place with a unique character that comes from its connection to the expansive environmental values of the South Coast with its protected areas such as Jervis Bay, Morton, Conjola and Murramarang National Parks. It is no surprise that the Shoalhaven will continue to grow as people are attracted to the area to enjoy its lifestyle and environment. It is critical that Council have its planning in order to accommodate, manage and direct this growth so that the values and character of the City are not lost. A clear sense of how the future growth of the City is to be managed will enable Council to ensure that future growth makes a positive contribution to its people, economy and environment. Producing a planning strategy for the future of the Shoalhaven requires an understanding of the opportunities and challenges currently facing the City: The average person in the City is getting older, which means more care needs to be paid to appropriate housing, health care and transport arrangements The City has a far larger Aboriginal Community than other places in NSW, reflecting the strong connection of Aboriginal people to the Shoalhaven and South Coast Continued population growth is expected in the City because people continue to find the Shoalhaven to be an attractive place to live. By 2030 it is expected that an extra 40,000 people will live in the City giving a population of approximately 130,000 Housing in the City is typically suburban in nature and spread over 49 towns and villages. The coastal villages have very high vacancy rates because of absentee owners Employment and economic growth are occurring in the City at rates that exceed similar Council areas in NSW. This shows the results of an economic development strategy built around the encouragement of aviation, defence, information technology and tourism jobs as well as the attraction created by the lifestyle values of the City While there is strong employment growth, the City also contains a relatively high percentage of people on fixed incomes – reflecting the high retiree population of the City The City boasts some of the most significant environmental values in NSW – 68 percent of the Shoalhaven is National Park, State Forest or vacant Crown Land As a City with a series of coastal towns and villages the interaction of urban areas with sensitive coastal lakes, lagoons and littoral environments is finely balanced While large areas of the City are protected, there are still sensitive environments and the links between these environments that are not protected More work can also be done on the need to protect communities from the risks of flooding, acidic soils and bushfire Council’s challenges come in fostering new urban growth while protecting the sensitive environments and coastal characters of the City’s 49 towns and villages. Council’s opportunities come through the ability to shape, direct and in some cases limit new growth to encourage a stronger economy, a more diverse community and a sustainable environment. Whitworth Consulting Page 5 Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper ESD and Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 Shoalhaven City Council is committed to the incorporation of Ecologically Sustainable Development (or ESD) into Council’s activities and plans. Like other Council plans and policies Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 will be grounded on principles developed under an ESD filter. ESD is a principle adopted across the world for the management and control of human activities to ensure that current generations do not affect the ability of future generations to enjoy the environment and use resources for their benefit. A key element of ESD is the recognition and preservation of the global ecosystem through the acceptance of the interdependence of all its parts and the protection of biological diversity. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 is based on the following ESD principles: a) A precautionary approach to new development is required – this will ensure that land is not rezoned or developed without understanding the environmental, economic and social implications of the development b) Environmental, economic and social factors are all equally valued in the planning process c) The Shoalhaven’s resources of biological diversity, including its plant life, its animals and ecosystems are recognised and protected as part of the City’s cultural and environmental heritage d) Planning for the 49 towns and villages of the Shoalhaven needs to provide future residents with the same opportunities and choices as today’s residents – development should not limit these options, while planning should work to expand these options. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 and the Coastal Policy Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 has been prepared to be consistent with the State Government’s Coastal Policy and supporting documents. A key element of Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 will be the integration of estuary management planning with urban structure planning consistent with the Coastal Design Guidelines. Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 and the subsequent local environmental plan will demonstrate the 9 goals from the Government’s 1997 Coastal Policy, as well as the requirements of State Environmental Planning Policy No. 71 – Coastal Protection. Whitworth Consulting Page 6 Planning and Policy Consultants Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 – Issues Paper Growth management issues to be addressed by Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 To be successful in providing an environmentally sustainable growth management strategy for the City, Shoalhaven Beyond 2030 will need to address 7 key issues associated with sustainable growth. Enough new dwellings are to be produced to meet the expected population growth of the City Demand for new dwellings comes from a number of sources: population growth, changing household size and composition, the replacement of existing houses and tourism. Taking into account the very high rates of re-development and tourism demands