Rodney Stevens
Clarence Valley Council has not pushed for the controversial rezoning of highly flood prone land at Palmers Island as part of its Local Housing Strategy despite previously voting to include the Palmers Island Planning Intervention.
Twice in 2023, when Clarence Valley Council put the draft Local Housing Strategy out on public exhibition, 873 public submissions and a petition with 1086 signatures were received against the draft, resulting in amendments limiting construction height limits to 9m at Iluka and Yamba.
At the November 21, 2024, ordinary meeting, Council resolved to adopt Council’s Local Housing Strategy LHS subject to the inclusion of the ‘Palmers Island’ Planning Intervention.
It is understood that the proposal was to rezone farmland at Palmers Island to large lot rural residential blocks.
Then at the March 20 ordinary meeting of Council at Maclean Chambers, councillors heard the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (the Department) issued conditional approval for the Clarence Valley LHS 2024 on February 19, 2025, with recommendations for key changes.
The meeting agenda stated the Department’s letter of conditional approval recommends the following key changes be made to the LHS prior to publishing on Council’s webpage:
The 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 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,” was the advice from the Department.
“Of note, the removal of planning intervention 13 – Palmers Island does not prevent the submission of the Planning Proposal (REZ2021/0002) to the Department requesting Gateway assessment.
“Should the proponent choose to progress the Planning Proposal it will be assessed by the Department based on the demonstrated justification for and strategic merit of the proposal.
“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.”
Cr Debrah Novak moved a motion which was seconded by Cr Karen Toms that Council:
- Note the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s Conditional Approval Letter regarding the Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy; and
- Note the Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy, as amended to comply with the Department’s conditions, is approved and will be published on Council’s website and the NSW Planning Portal.
The motion was carried unanimously.
The endorsed LHS will be placed on Council’s website and the NSW Planning Portal’s Local Housing Strategies Tracker following the Council meeting.
Stakeholders that will be impacted by these changes will also be notified.