There's been an overwhelming response to the public exhibition of Council's draft Community Infrastructure Strategic Plan 2056 (CISP), with thousands of residents sharing their views on the future of local facilities.
More than 2,400 people submitted feedback during the four-week exhibition period in April and May, generating over 29,200 individual responses on draft recommendations.
Mayor Patricia White said the purpose-built interactive map and integrated survey tool proved to be a key driver of engagement, allowing the community to explore and provide feedback on more than 1,000 draft recommendations across 637 facilities.
"This high level of participation highlights just how important community infrastructure is to Shoalhaven residents - from pools and parks to sporting grounds, community buildings and cultural spaces," Cr White said.
"With tens of thousands of individual pieces of feedback, this is one of the strongest levels of community engagement we've seen," she said.
"This feedback will directly help shape how we plan, maintain and invest in community infrastructure for generations to come.
"While the CISP provides recommendations regarding future strategic directions that carefully consider what the community has said, final decisions will still be assessed on a case-by-case basis before being actioned," she said.
This was the fourth consultation phase that built on and incorporated feedback from earlier stages of the CISP. To date, Council has received feedback from nearly 8,000 people, representing a substantial response.
The latest opportunity to provide feedback on the draft plan was shared extensively across the region for four weeks and included:
signs at 160 locations
social media posts
three information sessions
one workshop with disability service providers
direct emails to over 680 stakeholders
subscriber newsletter updates.
Key insights
More than 2,400 survey participants.
Over 29,200 responses on individual draft recommendations.
A total of 49% of respondents were in their forties or younger.
Initial results show that the level of overall agreement with draft recommendations was 74%.
Residents in Milton, Mollymook, Mollymook Beach, Narrawallee and Nowra gave the most feedback.
The highest volume of survey responses was on parks and open spaces, followed by sports and community precincts.
Based on the evidence, the team is preparing an Engagement Summary Report to be published in July 2026, while also progressing the final draft CISP for Council consideration later in the year.
