Batemans Bay Living Place Masterplan

Project: building a community, develop a stable economy, introduce housing choices and create a town that people want to visit, stay and live in.

Timeframe: August 2022 to mid-2025

Status: In progress

Cost and funding: $300,000

Page last updated: December 2024

Project details

We are working to:

  • confirm a vision and guiding principles for future private and public development
  • recommend height, density, infrastructure, and movement solutions
  • describe how design excellence for higher-density development can be achieved
  • provide housing options to address projected growth and demography.

Benefits to the community:

  • more housing choice and diversity in Eurobodalla
  • plan for a town that builds on its regional significance and supports economic growth and sustainability
  • ensure growth in Batemans Bay is resilient to climate change
  • develop a sense of community by planning for a town our children and grandchildren will be proud of
  • encourage the features of a town that people want to visit, stay, and live in
  • improved employment opportunities provide quality of life, jobs, and services.

Location

Background and purpose

Batemans Bay is a regional centre for the South Coast region. The town is the initial coastal settlement linking Canberra and its hinterland to the coastline. The town has vibrant businesses, services, and facilities. It is a great place to live and visit as a holiday destination close to the sea. The vision for the town is:

"An active lived-in place, linked to the coast and water ways where people want to do business, shop, work, visit and become immersed in the lifestyle of the community."

The region is also growing. Now is the time to take advantage of investments and leverage new potential for residential development to address population growth and address our housing needs. Most dwellings in Eurobodalla are single dwellings but there is growing demand for smaller households. There are few affordable housing opportunities for single workers moving to town. We have an aging population wanting to downsize.

We are investigating opportunities for future development that responds to this demand and need e.g. density Batemans Bay. Housing diversity will grow the local economy by helping ease current pressures on local people finding homes, and make the town and region more attractive to a future workforce.

The NSW Government prioritises planning for places that have economic connections, known as clusters. Batemans Bay to Moruya is proposed to be a regional cluster in the draft South East and Tablelands Regional Plan.

Community engagement

We will be asking for community input into the masterplan so that it can describe stakeholder and community aspirations. We have already heard lots from the community as part of previous projects. This masterplan process will reflect previous conversations and encourage more detailed conversations with our community. It will respect the past. The process will refresh the existing vision.

There will be opportunities to participate in the masterplan process e.g. online, at public meetings and workshops. We will advertise these opportunities soon.

Project updates

November 2024

  • We are preparing the draft master plan (Part A) and its supporting technical report (Part B).
  • We have engaged consultants who are now completing their research related to economic growth, building heights and landscape improvements.
  • Before the end of 2024, Council will consider the draft master plan for the purpose of placing it on public exhibition for community feedback. The feedback period will be in early 2025.

August 2022

  • We are seeking quotes for technical specialists to prepare studies that will help inform the masterplan.

You can sign up to receive updates throughout the project:

More information

For more information please contact Council's Strategic Planner Mr Vivian Straw: