Good strategic planning enables councils to work with their communities, NSW government agencies and the private sector to deliver new and diverse housing in more liveable neighbourhoods.
Strategic planning strategies use a place-based planning approach to help provide communities with great areas in which to live. They aim to provide walkable neighbourhoods that support active and healthy lifestyles, as well as create and renew great spaces.
Kiama Council's Growth and Housing Strategy will set out a clear plan to support the delivery of housing in our municipality and our region over the next 20 years. It will also identify if new housing opportunities are required, and if so, where and how these opportunities can be supplied.
The Growth and Housing strategy will promote efficient use of land and infrastructure by aligning housing growth with supporting infrastructure and social services, such as schools, health facilities, water, sewerage and public transport, and plan for future needs.
Further information can be found here: Local housing strategies | Planning (nsw.gov.au).
The Kiama Growth and Housing Strategy will be Kiama Council’s Local Housing Strategy and identifies our growth and housing needs, priorities and actions to implement the strategy.
Local Housing Strategies support the delivery of new homes in the right locations by identifying ways of delivering the amount and types of housing needed, and ensuring adequate infrastructure such as utilities, transport, access to services and open space.
The Draft Growth and Housing Strategy provides a framework for how we can best accommodate growth to meet our housing supply targets and ensure sustainable and responsive delivery of housing for our growing and changing community.
The evidence base looks at housing supply gaps, specific needs, and development capacity.
Kiama Council's Strategic Planning Team have started an analysis of our area’s existing evidence base.
This included establishing the demographic background and future trends and demands.
A suitably qualified Urban Economist has prepared a housing supply feasibility analysis.
This analysis will identify the viability of housing development and likely take up rates of the theoretical capacity (for instance, housing supply capacity of existing land use controls).
Community engagement and collaboration will assist in establishing a vision and objectives of the Growth and Housing Strategy.
The Draft Growth and Housing Strategy, and other relevant documents including the Engagement Report can be viewed on Council’s website: www.kiama.nsw.gov.au/growth
The Draft Strategy can also be viewed at Council’s administration building and Kiama and Gerringong Libraries during opening hours.
Council officers will also be available to chat at the Community Engagement Pop-Ups on:
- Wednesday 7 August from 2pm to 4pm at the Kiama Farmers Market, Kiama
- Thursday 8 August from 3pm to 5pm at IGA, Jamberoo
The Draft Strategy is on public exhibition until Friday 16 August 2024 and all members of the community and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide their feedback.
General submissions can be made on Council’s website, or email council@kiama.nsw.gov.au
The Landowner / Developer Expression of Interest (EOI) has also been reopened and can be accessed via Council’s website: www.kiama.nsw.gov.au/growth
The submissions and Developer EOIs will be considered, and the Draft Strategy updated as required. Due to the Council caretaker period in the lead up to the election, the next report on this project will be provided to the new Council in November 2024. This report will either be a revised Draft for exhibition, or a final Strategy with a recommendation regarding adoption.
Please contact Council on (02) 4232 0444 if you have any questions about the Draft Strategy.
