Find out more about our MidCoast Urban Release Areas Report, which identifies land across the MidCoast region for future urban expansion.
The MidCoast region is experiencing an exciting phase of growth in our urban areas.
In order to ensure we are prepared for future urban development in our region, we have reviewed the land in the MidCoast that is earmarked for future housing and business growth.
Our Urban Release Areas Report will help support the future development of potential new housing and business opportunities in the MidCoast. The purpose of the document is to consolidate previous strategies and regional plans about land in the MidCoast region and its suitability for urban development.
This document analyses whether land is considered suitable for urban development, and if so, outlines set timeframes when this land can be rezoned in the future; to provide additional land supply to meet demand of our region that is experiencing growth.
The report was adopted by the elected Council in July 2021 and has been referred to the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for endorsement.
Click '+ Follow' at the top of this page to receive updates on the project.
To view the MidCoast Urban Release Areas Report document in full-screen in the interactive PDF viewer above, select the bracket icon at the bottom-right side the toolbar to enable full-screen.
If you are having trouble viewing the document in the interactive PDF viewer, you may also download the full MidCoast Urban Release Areas Report in the Document library on this page.
During May and July 2021 we took a draft Settlement Expansion and Redevelopment Opportunities Analysis Report to our community for comment.
The feedback received from the community was considered and some changes made to the draft document.
During the consultation period 64 submissions were received and assessed by Council.
A summary of the submissions can be found in the Document library on this page.
This document also outlines the changes that were made to the document as a result of the feedback received.
Further discussion on the document took place during the Council meeting, with Councillors resolving to include ‘Forster growth area 6’ in the report as a short term opportunity when they adopted the report at the 28 July 2021 Ordinary Meeting. You can find the meeting minutes here.
Check out our Draft Rural Strategy for the MidCoast, our rural landscape zoning review to develop a clear, consistent, region-wide planning framework.
Below are questions about the draft review document, which was available to provide feedback on during the exhibition period.
Expansion and redevelopment of our settlements is something that affects landowners directly, and residents who live in proximity to the identified proposed urban development areas in the MidCoast region.
The draft review document’s aim is to identify a logical, short-medium term view of expansion of our region’s urban settlements, and give the community certainty about what areas can potentially be rezoned and the timeframes for this to occur. The document indicates a range of areas around the MidCoast where expansion may happen in the future.
The draft review document outlines all land parcels that can be potentially rezoned in the future to support urban developments across the MidCoast. In some cases it also identifies land that has been previously mapped for potential development that will no longer be considered, due to a range of environmental constraints and hazards.
Only land recommended for inclusion in an Urban Release Area will be able to be considered for rezoning and development for urban purposes.
For further information about what land has been mapped for expansion, please refer to the draft Settlement Expansion and Redevelopment Opportunities Analysis Report in the Document library on this page.
The draft review document identifies urban expansion areas across the MidCoast to cater for expected future housing and employment growth. It shows the areas that will have the opportunity to be rezoned for urban purposes. The draft review document specifies if the expansion of these areas are short (1-5years), medium (6-10years) or long term (10+ years) priorities based on the rate of expected growth. Only those areas mapped in the document will be considered for future rezoning proposals.
As a member of the community it is important to know that this draft review document does not rezone land, nor provide any approval for development.
It is simply a list of the places that may be considered for development in the future and represents a minor review of existing proposed urban release areas.
There is a formal process to rezone land that involves the landholder submitting a planning proposal. This is a process that involves a range of studies on the land and includes the opportunity for neighbours and the wider community to comment before a decision is made on a rezoning.
All planning proposals are reviewed and either approved or rejected by the elected Council and the State government.
If a planning proposal is approved and the land in question is rezoned, there is a separate development application process for the developer to go through before any development is ultimately approved on the land.
All landowners impacted by the draft review as outlined above have been individually contacted. If you have not received any direct contact regarding the review, then the draft review document doesn’t directly apply to you.
This draft review impacts on 50 sites across the MidCoast, and outlines the land that is included for potential future expansion and the land that is no longer identified for urban growth.
Of the 47 previously identified urban growth areas, 37 have been determined to be appropriate and are retained in the draft document.
Two of the 47 areas have been expanded – at Diamond Beach and Taree West.
There are 10 areas that were previously identified that are no longer supported as a result of the review.
These areas are located across the MidCoast (Forster, Bulahdelah, Karuah, Lansdowne, Green Point, two areas in Harrington and three in Nabiac) and have been excluded because of environmental constraints and hazards on the land.
There have also been three additional opportunities identified:
If your land is identified in the review you will have been individually contacted by our team. You would have received a letter from us, it includes details on how you can obtain further information on your specific circumstances.
Landowners may fall into three categories identified in the draft review document. These are:
You will be able to put in a planning proposal to rezone the land for development once the proposed timeframe indicated in the draft document has been met. This proposal will need to go through the appropriate approval processes, which include community consultation. However, you may also wish to take no further action once your land has been identified, and continue to use your land as is.
Some land that was previously identified as a potential urban expansion area has been removed and development is no longer a possible option for the landowner. These changes are due to a number of reasons, including environmental hazards such as flood-prone land and environmental corridors. This has occurred in 10 sites in the MidCoast region.
It is important to note, landowners not mapped in the draft document as an expansion area will not be able to submit applications for rezoning due to the concerns stated above. This may be of concern to you, therefore we encourage you to get in touch with us by one of the following contact options below if you have any questions.
You can find out whether your land is included by reviewing the draft review document here or in the Document Library on this page.
Community feedback received over the exhibition and the draft documents are reported to Council. Council considers these matters and amendments (if required) and the draft documents are adopted.
Sign up and follow projects that are important to you in the MidCoast region.
Land Use Planner
Join our online community to have your say and contribute to shaping MidCoast’s future.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live, the Gathang-speaking people and pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who now reside in the MidCoast Council area. We extend our respect to elders past and present, and to all future cultural-knowledge holders.
Contact us
General enquiries - (02)7955 7777
Open Monday - Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm (excluding public holidays)
Connect with us on social media
Our commitments to you
We deliver benefits for our community in a way that adds value and builds trust.
Why we are engaging
We are committed to engaging with our community in a meaningful way to support decision making, plan for projects, and to strengthen our communities.
By inviting your participation, we aim to create a sense of belonging, connection and involvement, and ultimately greater ownership of decisions by the whole community.
Have Your Say is our online tool for dynamic digital community engagement and provides an opportunity to stay informed and share what matters to you.
Quick links
© 2024 Have Your Say. All rights reserved. Log In to Site Currently logged in as USERNAME. Sign OutThis site is owned and operated by MidCoast Council using software licensed from Social Pinpoint. For details on how MidCoast Council collects and protects your personal information, refer to its Privacy Policy below. For details of how Social Pinpoint may access personal information, please refer to Social Pinpoint’s Privacy Policy.
MidCoast Council takes the privacy of the participants using this site very seriously.
This privacy statement applies to Have Your Say MidCoast. For information about the broader collection and use of personal information by MidCoast Council, please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Council has duties to protect personal information and the privacy of individuals in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (“PPIPA”). In order to inform our Community of those obligations we have developed a Privacy Management Plan. Within that Plan there are 12 Information Protection Principles:
Site visitor data
Have Your Say MidCoast collects information for statistical and system administration purposes. This includes:
Have Your Say MidCoast will not attempt to identify individuals from the records the server automatically generates unless necessary to investigate a breach of law or regulation.
Member registration
If you are a registered user, we may, in addition to the above data and depending on the nature of the consultation, collect the following information:
User feedback
We collect information that you provide via the Have Your Say MidCoast feedback tools. This includes comments and votes in forums, stories, surveys, interactive maps, quick polls.
Social media
If you register or log in to Have Your Say MidCoast via Facebook we will verify your details with Facebook but will not store your Facebook account information.
Links
Our privacy statement does not apply to other websites we may link to. We recommend you read the relevant privacy statement when you access another site.
When you sign up for a user account you provide:
Publicly available information
Publicly available information is limited to your username and any comments you leave under that name in the forums or other feedback tools on Have Your Say MidCoast.
Content that you post on the site publicly, will be able to be viewed by everyone who uses the site. Each post will contain your username and may include quotes from participants in forums, surveys and other consultation tools.
Information available to both MidCoast Council and Social Pinpoint includes:
Hosting
Regardless of whether you are a registered user, we will retain any communications that you send to us in accordance with MidCoast Council’s Records Management System and disposed of in accordance with current legislation. Your personal information can be accessed and corrected at any time by contacting MidCoast Council.
Where data in Google Analytics and HotJar is stored offsite, we ensure this is depersonalised and cannot be used to identify specific individuals. Where data and information are collected via the site’s servers and tools, this is managed through our data security protocols and processes.
Policy updates
We may update the content of this Privacy Policy from time to time for any reason. The updated version of the Privacy Policy will apply to you as soon as it is posted on the website.
We use the personal information about you to:
Content that you post on the site publicly, will be able to be viewed by everyone who uses the site. Each post will contain your username and may include quotes from participants in forums, surveys and other consultation tools.
Moderation
By monitoring this information that you provide, we are able to protect the integrity of the discussions from individuals and groups who may attempt to excessively effect the outcomes of a consultation process. For example, we check to ensure each user has a single email account. We also review the site to protect it from spam or trolls.
This information is analysed and interpreted by MidCoast Council staff and selected consultants to help inform the construction of improved projects, plans and policies.
Third Parties
We may also reveal personal information to third parties, and you consent to us disclosing your personal information, for the following purposes:
Access and correction
Requests for access to and correction of documents containing personal information and held by MidCoast Council can be addressed to the:
MidCoast Council
PO Box 482
Taree NSW 2430
The following Terms and Conditions govern the use of Have Your Say (“the site”). The software platform is owned by Social Pinpoint Pty Ltd and operated by us, MidCoast Council.
By accessing and using this site, you are choosing to accept and comply with the Terms presented throughout this agreement as well as the Privacy Policy and Moderation Policy. These Terms apply to all visitors and users of this site. Linked sites, affiliated services or third party content or software have their own Terms that you must comply with. If you disagree with any of the Terms presented in this agreement, you may discontinue using the site immediately.
If you are under 18 years old, please ensure that your parent or guardian understands and accepts these Terms and Conditions (including the Privacy Policy and Moderation Policy).
What are the conditions with a user’s account?
While using the site, you must not violate any applicable laws and regulations. It is our duty to protect the confidentiality of content you provide on our site in accordance with our Privacy Policy. When you create an account with us, you must always provide us with accurate information. Failure to provide accurate information violates the Terms, which may result in immediate termination of your account on our service. You are responsible for protecting your own password you use for this site and for any activities done under that password. Unauthorised use of your password or account must be immediately reported to us. In some cases, we or our agents may require access to your user accounts to respond to technical issues.
We are not responsible for the content on the site that has been provided by the users of the site. Any content posted by you is subject to the rules of our Moderation Policy. Your contribution to the site may be edited, removed or not published if we consider it inappropriate (refer to Moderation Policy). Contributors should also be aware that their posts may remain online indefinitely. Where practical, you may choose not to identify yourself, deal with us on an anonymous basis or use a pseudonym.
What do we require from our users?
You must understand and agree that, without limitation:
Can your account be suspended or terminated?
We may terminate or suspend access to your site and/or account immediately, without prior notice, including without limitation if you breach the Terms. We may immediately deactivate or delete your account and all the related files and information in your account. After your account has been terminated, the content you have posted may also remain indefinitely on the site.
If you want to terminate your own account, please send an email to haveyoursay@midcoast.nsw.gov.au.
Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed in accordance with the laws of NSW, Australia, without regards to its conflict of law provisions.
Indemnification
MidCoast Council, its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, licensors and other partners are not responsible for any loss, liability, claim, or demand, including legal fees, made by any third party due to or arising from a breach of this agreement and/or any breach of your representations and warranties set forth above.
What content do we own?
This website contains the copyrighted material, trademarks, patents, trade secrets and other proprietary information (“Intellectual Property”) of MidCoast Council and its suppliers and licensors. MidCoast Council owns and retains all proprietary rights in the intellectual property. All intellectual property in the content of this site including without limitation to text, software, source code, pages, documents and online graphics, photographs, sounds, audio, video and other interactive features are owned by or licensed to us.
Any original content that you submit or post on our site may be made available to the public and allows users to share your content (with the end user acknowledging your contribution) under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Australian License.
Except for Intellectual Property which is in the public domain or for which you have been given written permission, you may not copy, alter, transmit, sell, distribute any of the Intellectual Property on this site.
We are not responsible for your communications or dealings, including payment and delivery of goods or services, with a third party found via our website. Any loss or damage incurred from those communications or dealings are solely between the user and the third party.
Disclaimer and Warranties
Users must agree that you use of the site is at your own risk. We make no warranty that the site will meet your requirements or be uninterrupted or error-free. Any material that the user downloads through the site is done at their own risk and are responsible for any damages to their computer system or loss of data.
What happens if these Terms change?
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time without notice. The most recent version of the Terms can be seen on this page. By continuing to access or use our site after those revisions become effective, you agree and will comply to the revised terms. If you do not agree to the revised terms, please discontinue using our site.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at haveyoursay@midcoast.nsw.gov.au.
