Port Stephens Council

14 Aug 2020

UDIA has regular stakeholder engagement meeting with all our local councils. Interested members are encouraged to contact Elizabeth York at eyork@udiansw.com.au to be included in future meetings.

UDIA met with Tim Crosdale, Kate Drinan, Janelle Gardner and Will Oxley on 28 August.

Council Resourcing: currently recruiting for 2 planners.
Strategic Planning: DCP amendment to implement changes to enable infill housing is currently in the works; council is hopeful for gateway by the end of the year. The employment and industrial lands study is currently in the scoping phase, with industry consultation being planned. PSC received $600,000 state grant funding for Raymond Terrace and Nelson Bay town centre public domain projects. Council is currently considering submissions to the Nelson Bay strategy. The Williamtown SAP has been announced, and council is currently working with NSW Government in its masterplan investigations to finalise the site footprint; the masterplan process is expected to take 12-18 months.
Assessment: The initial reduction in applications early in the year recovered massively, with the first half of 2020 finishing on par with the first half of 2019 in terms of numbers, and higher in terms of value. DA assessment timeframes continue to reduce, with the median now at 27 days. Referrals are generally tracking well, with a couple complex notable exceptions.
Acceleration: PSC will participate in DPIE’s Council Accelerated Assessment Program, and have had engagement already with the new Planning Delivery Unit (PDU) on how it can assist in unlocking some stalled assessments. Council is focused on more upfront engagement with planning proposal proponents.
Local Infrastructure Delivery: Council has updated its processes to directly align contributions with the Strategic Asset Management Plan forward works plan.