EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this Report is to provide certainty around the expansion of settlements in the MidCoast by identifying land that can be rezoned for residential or employment zones to meet the demand for additional housing and business or industrial growth.

This Report is intended to meet the principle of Strategic Merit required by Council and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) to be demonstrated by all Planning Proposals lodged to rezone land.

This Report identifies land that can be rezoned and provides the timeframe under which Planning Proposals would be accepted by Council and DPIE to create additional residential and employment opportunities to meet demand.

Following adoption of this report by Council and subsequent endorsement by DPIE, it will form the basis of a future Urban Development Program required to be prepared by Council under the Hunter Regional Plan 2036.

Rather than being the identification of land never before considered for rezoning, this document represents a minor review of land identified in previous strategies that is yet to be rezoned.

This Report identifies existing urban zone boundary of settlements and land deemed suitable for consideration for rezoning to expand settlements.

Settlements where no land has previously been identified for expansion have not been included in this minor review. Such new land would be identified through future local settlement strategies. This Report would either then be updated to include these new areas or they would separately inform the future Urban Development Program.