Shellharbour City Council has officially adopted the 2024-2025 Annual Report, celebrating a year of progress, achievement and strong community outcomes across the city.
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said the report highlights Council's ongoing commitment to delivering quality services and shaping a thriving and connected community.
Caption: Highlights from Community, Economy, Capital Works, Environment and Leadership make up the 2024-2025 Annual Report. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.
"The Annual Report captures the impressive breadth of work undertaken during the past financial year, from vital infrastructure projects and environmental improvements to events and initiatives that strengthen community wellbeing," Mayor Homer said.
Across Shellharbour, Council delivered 77 capital works projects with an investment of $33.4 million into roads, parks and community facilities. Highlights included the Reddall Reserve Southern Amenities Block upgrade and Cec Glenholmes Sportsfield.
The city received five major awards this year, including international recognition for the Yirran muru playspace, named Best Playground in the 2025 Monocle Design Awards. The interpretive playspace has now won a total of 11 awards since its opening.
Reddall Reserve Promenade received an Excellence Award from the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, for transforming the area into an active and accessible foreshore space blending environmentally friendly design with community connection.
Shellharbour remained one of the best performing councils in NSW for processing development applications.
DA's were assessed at an average of 73 days, well below the state benchmark of 111, resulting in Council's Accelerated Assessment Project being recognised as a finalist in the LGNSW Planning Awards.
A focus on connecting the community saw more than 80,000 people attend Council events throughout the year, including Carols by Candlelight, Australia Day Breakfast by the Lake and the Enchanted Forest.
More highlights from the Annual Report include:
Community
- There were 205,805 visitors to our libraries and 626,151 library items loaned, while 1407 library programs saw over 25,000 attendees.
- The Shellharbour City Museum website had over 145,000 visits, accessing 13,000 historical records.
- Our local pools and beaches saw more than 680,000 visitors, with lifeguards performing 73 rescues and nearly 8000 preventative actions.
Environment
- More than 34,400 trees were planted as part of Bush Regeneration. Including bushland maintenance planting, project works, off set planting and grant funded projects.
- 1,158m of shared paths and footpaths were constructed as part of the Active Transport Strategy to improve connectivity.
Economy
- The Links Shell Cove enjoyed a record-breaking year with 64,000 rounds of golf played, the highest number of rounds ever recorded.
- Shellharbour was awarded Silver in the NSW Top Tourism Town Awards, recognising the City's appeal and the success of Council's tourism initiatives.
Leadership
- Welcomed 17 participants into the Cadet, Apprentice and Trainee (CAT) program.
- More than 56,900 visitors engaged with the Let's Chat online forum for community engagement.
Find the full 2024-2025 Annual Report here.
KEY MESSAGES:
- Shellharbour City Council's 2024-2025 Annual Report celebrates major milestones, including 77 capital works projects and $33.4 million invested in essential infrastructure across the city.
- The city earned state and international recognition, with award-winning projects like Yirran muru playspace and Reddall Reserve Promenade showcasing Shellharbour's commitment to design excellence and liveability.
- Strong community engagement and service performance continued, with more than 80,000 people attending Council events and Shellharbour ranking among NSW's top councils for development assessment times.
