Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy and Affordable Housing Policy

Published on 10 November 2023

Conditional approval regarding the Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy was issued by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (the Department) on 19 February 2025.

The letter commends Council on the significant efforts and commitment to strategic planning for the Clarence Valley in preparing the Local Housing Strategy (LHS).

The Department's letter of conditional approval recommended the following key changes be made to the LHS prior to publishing on Council's webpage:

• removal of planning intervention 13 - Palmers Island; and
• making minor technical corrections.

The reasoning for the removal planning intervention 13 - Palmers Island is stated as follows: 'As this land is highly flood prone and subject to riverbank erosion, mapped as regionally significant farmland and located within the sensitive coastal strip, use of this land for permanent housing is not consistent with the state and regional planning framework'.

The approval letter also recommends further investigation into the planning interventions identified in the strategy and ongoing collaboration with NSW Government agencies in the successful implementation of the LHS.

Council at their ordinary meeting held 20 March 2025 (Item 7.15; resolution 2025.1492):

The final endorsed LHS is now available on Council's website and will be uploaded to the NSW Planning Portal Local Housing Strategies Tracker.

NSW councils are required to prepare Local Housing Strategies in accordance with Department of Planning and Environment’s Local Housing Strategy Guideline 2018 and it has been prepared to give effect to Action 4.4 of the Clarence Valley Local Strategic Planning Statement. This project is proudly funded by the NSW Government.

The LHS guides future decision-making about where new houses should be built and the types of housing our community needs. The planning interventions identify opportunities to amend local planning controls to create capacity for a greater diversity of housing types, close to existing infrastructure and services. The interventions will also assist Council in meeting the North Coast Regional Plan 2041 priority for housing to be delivered as 40% multi-dwellings / small lot housing.

The LHS was developed in collaboration with local industry representatives, government agencies, community housing providers and other stakeholders that are involved with housing delivery in the Clarence Valley.

The Affordable Housing Policy (AHP) - Council adopted the Affordable Housing Policy at their meeting held 19 December 2024.

BACKGROUND

The initial draft LHS and Draft AHP was placed on public exhibition from Friday 27 October to Friday 22 December 2023.

Council received over 800 community submissions and 7 NSW government agency submissions were received regarding the Draft LHS and Draft AHP during the exhibition period in October to December 2023.

The submissions were carefully considered and the Draft LHS amended in response. The amended Draft LHS was endorsed for re-exhibition by Council on 23 July 2024.

The amended Draft LHS was re-exhibited Friday 9 August to Monday 23 September 2024.

Over 360 community submissions and 5 NSW government agency submissions received regarding the amended draft LHS during the exhibition period. The submissions were carefully considered and further amendments were made to the LHS in response to community and agency feedback, including consideration of Council's Coastal Management Program (Open Coast) and the removal of the Iluka Planning Intervention. The final LHS was reported to Council at their meeting held 21 November 2024.

Council adopted the LHS at their meeting held 21 November 2024

Council adopted the Local Housing Strategy (item 7.23) at their meeting held Thursday 21 November 2024, subject to the inclusion of the Annexure 4 Planning Intervention for Palmers Island.

The adopted Local Housing Strategy was referred to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure for final review and endorsement following it's adoption.

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