Council has secured almost $1 million in NSW Government funding to enhance sporting infrastructure in recognition of its strong performance on development assessment turnaround times.
The State Government yesterday announced that Council received the funding for beating the 110-day benchmark for development assessment times for 2024-25.
The funding will be used to upgrade tennis, hockey and sports infrastructure to meet growing community demand and improve safety. Bernie Regan Sporting Complex in North Nowra and Narang Rd Tennis Complex in Bomaderry will receive upgrades.
"Receiving this funding is an outstanding result for the Shoalhaven and acknowledges the dedication and professionalism of our highly skilled, hard-working Council staff," Mayor Patricia White said.
"The assessment team's efforts to speed up DA timeframes and make our processes more efficient have been rightly rewarded and our community will benefit through better infrastructure," Cr White said.
"Assessing DAs is difficult work that requires balancing demand for housing against community needs and ensuring compliance with complex planning rules. Council staff have delivered high-quality, timely decisions that support good planning and housing outcomes," she said.
Shoalhaven is one of 30 high-performing councils that has received a grant through the NSW Planning Minister's Faster Assessments Incentive Program.
Round one of the program provides $54 million in grants to help deliver the roads, parks, sporting facilities, and community infrastructure needed to support housing growth.
Having met the Minister's expectation of assessing DAs within the 105-day benchmark for 2025-26, Council is now also being considered for round two of the program, with $67 million available for NSW councils that met or surpassed the target and improved assessment times last financial year.
