Local Strategic Planning Statement

5 September 2019

Bega Valley Shire Council’s new Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS) will identify how we plan for growth within our Shire that complements our unique character and landscape.

The LSPS will guide land use in the Shire through to 2040 by outlining planning priorities aimed at maintaining the special characteristics which contribute to our local identity and our shared community values, particularly the economic, social and environmental planning issues that affect the whole of the Bega Valley Shire and the people who live here.

It will ensure growth and change can be properly managed into the future with regard to things like transport, housing, open space and recreation, the natural environment, our changing climate, the character of our towns and villages and local Aboriginal culture.

Council’s Manager Planning and Sustainability, Keith Tull, said the LSPS is designed as a forward-thinking document to ensure sustainable growth in the Shire is properly managed.

“The statement brings together important information about our unique environment, the character of our communities, our cultural identities and our economy to set priorities for building a prosperous and liveable Shire,” Mr Tull said.

A number of individual elements which feed into the LSPS are currently in development, including a Commercial Land Strategy, a Residential Land Strategy, a Rural Living Strategy and Aboriginal cultural heritage mapping.

The Rural Living Strategy outlines Council’s strategic direction for rural living opportunities and identifies land that can be considered for rural residential rezoning in the future. The Residential Land Strategy will guide future residential development across the Shire in terms of land requirements, diversity of needs and preferences, location of residential development and housing supply and mix, including affordability. The Commercial Land Strategy will provide a flexible framework for the future development of our town centres that is sympathetic to their unique character and help plan for opportunities for local economic development and employment generation. The Aboriginal cultural heritage mapping being undertaken will improve the protection and promotion of Aboriginal cultural heritage by identifying areas within the landscape that are culturally significant or contain Aboriginal archaeology.

There will be a range of opportunities for local people to contribute to the development of the LSPS and its supporting strategies over the coming months with various elements of the statement going on public exhibition from October.

Photo: The Local Strategic Planning Statement will guide land us in the Shire for the next 20 years.

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