Draft Plan of Management for Council Community Land

Draft Plan of Management for Council Community Land

This public exhibition has now closed

Central Coast Council owns over 2,000 parcels (lots) of community land comprising of the following categories: natural area, sportsground, park, area of cultural significance and general community use. As such, community land cannot be sold and moreover, the Local Government Act 1993 stipulates that Councils must prepare a Plan of Management (POM) which governs how the community land is to be used and managed. As a result, Central Coast Council's Draft Plan of Management was exhibited for community consultation and feedback. This plan supersedes all previous POMs, excluding the Kincumba Mountain and Central Coast Stadium, which have their own POMs. 

Historically, an extensive number of POMs were prepared on a category-by-category basis in each of the former Councils. Since then, other parcels of land have been created or acquired which have not yet been categorised and some parcels of land have been found to not have an attached POM.

This Draft POM addressed these issues while also proposing a formal review process that will help rationalise the provisions that apply to land that has already been categorised and to extend coverage to community land that is not yet categorised or included in an operative POM.

The POM's objectives were to:

  • identify the category of the land,
  • highlight the objectives and performance targets of the plan with respect to the land, and
  • detail the means and manner by which the Council proposes to achieve the plan's objectives and performance targets.

The existing categorisation of more than 1,800 parcels of land were reviewed and approximately 400 additional lots were categorised for the first time. The largest number of lots were confirmed or newly categorised as natural area (more than 1,000 parcels) or as parks (approximately 500 parcels). There were also a significant number of parcels of land categorised or re-categorised as sportsgrounds and as general community use (between 150-250 parcels of each category). 

A schedule of all community land proposed to be included in the POM can be found in the document library on this page with all land listed by suburb and street address and also by lot and deposited plan.

Accompanying maps can also be found in the document library which help highlight the location (where practicable) as well as the categorisation of land.

Have Your Say

Between 20 December 2022 and 1 March 2023, the community was invited to find out more and have their say by:

There were five (5) Public Hearings to  provide a forum for the public to discuss parcels of community land relevant to the area that are being recategorised or categorised for the first time. Land considered at one public hearing was not discussed in the other public hearings. The suburbs discussed at each public hearing can be found under the "Doc View" heading. The specific parcels of land to be discussed at each public hearing were provided to participants on the day. The public hearing details were as follows:

Please view the public hearing report prepared by an independent facilitator here.

Your attention is drawn to the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 which allows for possible access to certain public and personal documentation. View our privacy statement.

Closed

Who's listening

Who's listening
Name
Bronwyn Daley, Property Systems and Research Officer
What is community land?

Community land owned or managed by Council includes a wide variety of properties, ranging from small recreation reserves to iconic parks, beaches, natural areas and community facilities.

Community land supports important aspects of community life and provides opportunities for recreation, leisure, community services and contact with the natural environment.

What is a Plan of Management (POM)?

The Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act) requires a Plan of Management (POM) to be prepared for all public land that is classified as ‘community’ land under that Act. A Plan of Management is an important tool for managing community land, which is written by Council in consultation with the community.

A POM categorises community land based on its characteristics and outlines how Council will use and manage the land. A POM provides a transparent and coordinated approach to public land management. A POM can be prepared for more than one area of land or a specific area or site. This POM is an area-wide POM which covers multiple parcels and sites of community land in the Central Coast LGA.

What is included in a POM?

The Local Government Act requires a POM to:

  • categorise all land covered in this POM into categories specified in the Local Government Act
  • determine how Council will use and manage land covered in this POM, in a way that is consistent with the core objectives for each category under the Local Government Act and other laws that relate to the use of the land
  • identify the objectives and performance targets for each category of land
  • identify the means by which Council proposes to achieve the objectives and performance targets for each category of land
  • expressly authorise leases, licenses and other estates that may be granted for each category of land, and specify any purposes for which a lease, licence or other estate may be granted only by tender under the Local Government Act. 
Why does community land need a POM?

The Local Government Act requires all land classified as community land to be managed and used in accordance with the POM applying to the land and any other laws regulating the use of the land. Most land owned by Council is classified as community land. Council also manages many Crown reserves as Crown Land Manager. A separate Plan of Management will cover these Crown Reserves.

What's the difference between community land and Crown land?

Crown land is land that is owned and managed by the NSW (State) Government. Councils may also manage Crown land under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act) for public land.

However, this Plan of Management pertains to the classification of Community Land which is both owned and managed by Council.

Why does this plan exclude Kincumba Mountain and Central Coast Stadium?

The Kincumba Mountain POM covers both Council owned and Crown land. Central Coast Stadium is a specialised high performance sports facility which is subject to a long term management agreement.

Will Council sell any community land?

Community land cannot be sold. Council owned community land includes bushland, parks, reserves, playing fields and open spaces. The Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act) Section 45 stipulates that a Council has no power to sell, exchange or otherwise dispose of community land.

For land to be sold, it must be classified as "operational land" not "community land". The current POM process is only focused on "categorising" and "recategorising" community land, not "classifying" or "reclassifying" it. This requires a completely different process and is unrelated to what is trying to be achieved with the current project.

How long will the POM be on public exhibition for?

Before a POM can be adopted by Council, it must be placed on public exhibition for at least 28 days. Submissions may be made to Council for a period of at least 42 days from the first day of public exhibition. The exhibition period has been extended in accordance with Central Coast Council’s Community Participation Plan which states that the period between 20 December and 10 January (inclusive) is excluded from the calculation of a period of public exhibition.

What happens after the public exhibition is closed?

Once the exhibition period has ended, the project team read and consider all submissions.

All land-specific feedback will be addressed and replied to by the project team.

The project team will then make appropriate amendments to the Plan of Management with these community comments in mind, before bringing back to Council for adoption.

Will there be public hearings?

There will be five (5) Public Hearings to  provide a forum for the public to discuss parcels of community land relevant to the area that are being recategorised or categorised for the first time. Land considered at one public hearing will not be discussed in the other public hearings. The suburbs to be discussed at each public hearing can be found under the "Doc View" heading. The specific parcels of land to be discussed at each public hearing will be provided to participants on the day. The public hearing details are as follows:

How can I find out more?

An online information webinar will be hosted on Wednesday 25 January 2023 to assist you in learning more about this project.

How can I have my say?

The community is invited to submit general feedback as well as land-specific comments from 20 December 2022 until 1 March 2023 via:

Why is the POM being reviewed now?

    These are reasons why it is important for the public exhibition to occur now:

    • A delay in this process would leave many community groups and organisations who are leasing the land at a disadvantage due to potential holds on their leases. Many not-for-profit organisations depend on their ability to use facilities on community land and without a POM in place, there is a negative impact on stability and security
    • The process of reviewing our POMs is long overdue. Some have been around for nearly 30 years, are no longer relevant and over 500 lots have not yet been categorised. This compromises the ability to properly manage our community land
    • Council committed to updating the POMs before it went into administration. The financial challenges delayed the process but Council is in a position where we are now able to review the POM adequately.
    What is the difference between classification and categorisation?

    Classification dictates whether land is for operational use or community use. However, categorisation is purely to identify how the land identified for community use will be used i.e. bushland, parks, reserves, playing fields and open spaces.

    The categorisation of community land has no bearing on whether the land can be sold. Only operational land can be sold.

    Where's it happening?

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