Presentations from 28th Oct 2025 ESC Council Meeting
SUMMARY
Ten speakers addressed the Eurobodalla Council monthly meeting yesterday.
In summary, Louise Webb from Animal Welfare Eurobodalla spoke about the ‘painfully drawn-out journey” in getting the new Animal Shelter going, as no DA had been submitted and no grant applied for. Peter Cormick also addressed the slow progress on the new Animal Shelter, calling the current shelter an “animal Alcatraz.”
Dr Brett Stevenson for A Better Eurobodalla spoke about the process of the planning for the Housing Strategy and Batemans Bay Masterplan and lack of data included.
Frank Ross for SHASA spoke about the Batemans Bay Master Plan and the lack of supporting evidence for some generalisations.
Allan Rutherford spoke about the need for a master plan for Moruya and managing flood impacts in town so as not to prevent development.
Rob Pollock from the Moruya Chamber of Commerce also spoke about the need for a housing strategy for Moruya, especially in light of the new hospital nearing completion.
“All the speakers here are telling you that the housing crisis has not been addressed.”
Cid Mateo also addressed the Housing strategy, asking that it be sent for peer review.
Neil Gow spoke about the Batemans Bay welcome park initiative for the Batemans Bay old bowling club site saying “once it’s sold, it’s gone.”
Hannah Semler also spoke about the Batemans Bay Mater Plan and the idea for a welcome park. Rebecca Ireland spoke about a DA for Akolele. Patricia Helier spoke about camping at Moruya Showground.
LOUISE WEBB QON25/006
Good afternoon Mayor and Councillors, and congratulations, Mr Ferguson on your appointment. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.
I read the responses to Councillor Johnson’s question about the proposed new animal shelter with dismay, disappointment and also something approaching bewilderment.
Following the resolution passed at the Council meeting of 29 April 2025, granting approval for the preparation and submission of a Development Application for the new shelter, I, like most in the community, believed that such work was under way. It now seems that no DA has been prepared, resulting in further delays to the delivery of a much-needed new facility.
As I have already reminded Councillors via email, it was November 2019 when I presented at a Public Forum my concerns regarding the state of the pound. In May 2023, the former General Manager said the facility was a disgrace. It is coming up to twelve months since the first iteration of architectural plans were completed. We then faced the delay caused by issues with the stockyards, and the plans were redrawn. Those redrawn plans were available six months ago, so I am at a loss to understand why no progress has been made since then.
I also am at a loss to make sense of point 5 in the response to Clr Johnson’s question. Point 5 reads:
“Council staff are working on the report to address the design, construction and budget for a new animal shelter. As part of this process, there is a review of how the service can be provided and if there are other ways of providing this service and/or the construction of the animal shelter.”
The questions which arise in my mind when reading this are:
- What service is being referred to here?
- Is it the management of impounded animals?
- How is the review being conducted?
- What investigations have been made and what organisations have been consulted?
- Does the review encompass the prospect of not building a new shelter?
I hope today’s meeting can shed light on these issues.
In regard to the grants situation, I note that the response before council states that there are none available. Given that, as I understand it, a decision has been taken not to apply for any grants before the DA is complete, how is it possible to know what the situation will be when the DA is indeed ready? And I do hope that, at that point, both the Federal and State local members of Parliament will be approached for their assistance and support in this matter.
Those of us who are anxiously awaiting a new animal shelter, one which is in keeping with today’s knowledge and standards of animal welfare, and I hope that includes all councillors, must question why this project is facing such a painfully drawn-out journey.
Numerous other councils throughout the state have managed to deliver new animal shelters, the most recent one being Wingecarribee Shire. Councillors may recall that I sent you all a copy of the media release relating to this.
To quote from that release:
The new shelter delivers contemporary, fit-for-purpose facilities designed to ensure the highest standards of animal welfare and care. Purpose-built spaces provide a safe and welcoming environment for animals while they await adoption, alongside a compliant and supportive workspace for staff, volunteers, and visitors.
Wingecarribee Deputy Mayor Erin Foley said the new shelter was the result of incredible collaboration with dedicated staff, volunteers, and community partners.
“Their insight, experience, and commitment have helped create a facility that is safe, welcoming, and future-focused. The shelter will help give animals the best possible start while providing staff and volunteers the space and resources they need to care for them with dignity every day,” said Deputy Mayor Foley.
“The shelter is more than a building, it is a place for learning, connecting, and creating new beginnings for pets and the people who love them,” she said.
Friends of the Wingecarribee Animal Shelter (FOWAS) President Deborah Barnes said the organisation was delighted to celebrate the opening of the new facility.
“Since 2006, FOWAS has been a proud supporter of the Shelter, assisting hundreds of companion animals in finding loving new homes through our dedicated programs,” said Ms Barnes.
“This modern, purpose-built Shelter will not only enhance the welfare of animals while they are in care but also allow us to strengthen our efforts to rehome them successfully.
Finally, on the subject of Friends of the Shelter, I am disappointed to report that absolutely no progress has been made in setting up a trial foster program for impounded cats. Following my raising this at a Public Forum in April, and a positive meeting between the Mayor, myself and two of my former RSPCA Eurobodalla colleagues, we were hopeful of establishing such a program as a precursor to an active Friends of the Shelter group to support the new animal shelter, but we have not met with any encouragement in this regard.
I would like to see a much greater sense of urgency, priority and commitment given to the new animal shelter project, and I look forward to today’s deliberations in setting us on that path.
Thank you.
Peter Cormick
ITEM QON25/006 NEW ANIMAL WELFARE SHELTER DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
The response to Councillor Johnson’s Question On Notice itself demands a response.
Six months ago, on 29 April, councillors resolved to make the Eurobodalla Animal Shelter a reality – as a matter of priority.
In introducing the animal shelter item on that day, and in seeking an amendment to the staff’s recommendation, Councillor Mayne said, amongst other things, that “the risk is that this could drift a bit … it went back to previous councils … we’ve been talking about it for a while …”. Councillor Schutz added that “this has been going on for years … and it’s a critical issue … it can’t keep drifting out whilst we wait for a grant … it just can’t … [the current shelter] it’s not fit for purpose … I would like to see this delivered, in the next year …”. And other councillors expressed similar views – of the importance and urgency of a replacement shelter. A frustration and an impatience to get this new shelter started was the clear message given by council. Yet it does indeed keep “drifting”. Why?
My own frustration and impatience has long passed and has been replaced by anger.
Extraordinarily, as of today, a DA has not even been submitted, six months after councillors gave approval for it to be done; and, naturally, expected it to have been submitted in a timely manner – as required by sub-section 335 (b) of the LGA. Six whole months have passed and still no DA! Given the availability of the necessary information – of estimated costs and architectural drawings, that sort delay is by any standard, inexcusable, especially when councillors have, to varying degrees, expressed their insistence that this matter is to be dealt with as a priority. The absence of an expected ‘comprehensive report’, also required by councillors by the end of this calendar year, can in no way be used an excuse for this state of affairs. A DA should have been prepared and submitted using the $100,000 allocated for this very purpose on 24 June this year. And, of course, DA’s can always be amended as and when new, relevant information comes to hand.
And why on earth has council not be advocating for and seeking grant money for the past six months? In the present context, this persistent ‘shovel ready’ mantra is, to my ears, a lot of nonsense. Council already has an estimate of the costs, intends budgeting for construction of the shelter in 2026/27 and has the architectural drawings. There is simply no excuse for not moving this forward – with alacrity.
My anger at this most recent revelation of yet further inaction on this most important issue is all the more because of what I was told by the Director of Planning, on the phone, on 29 April, that the DA could be expected to be submitted within about six weeks of that date. I phoned him later that day because I needed clarification of some of what he had told the chamber, part of which is as follows: “Our focus at this point in time is being consistent with our grants policy, is to get shovel ready. So that means getting a DA approved. So, it is going to be 6 months minimum for Council to have any approval in front of itself in terms of a DA approval for an animal shelter. …”.
A reasonable interpretation of this advice is that an approval to construct the shelter could possibly have been given by about this time, but more likely at a later, unspecified, date. But, to repeat, the DA has still not been submitted let alone approved! Surely, councillors and the community are entitled to an explanation of just what is going on why this priority matter is stagnating.
Councillor Johnson also asked for staff to inform councillors of “the community and stakeholder engagement conducted to date”. The staff response has not addressed this request.
The animals in our shire deserve much, much better than what the present shelter provides, which, in my view is something of an animal Alcatraz.
As one of his constituents, I again ask the Mayor, as one of my representatives, to please take this matter in hand and, with the other councillors and staff, resolve it, as a matter of urgency.
Thank you for your attention.
Peter Cormick
Frank Ross for SHASA
GM Ferguson, Mayor Hatcher, Councillors and Council staff,
Submission re ESC Meeting 28 October 2025 for Agenda Item PER25/020 Draft Batemans Bay Masterplan – Response to Submissions
Thank you for the opportunity to make this submission in regard to the Response to Submissions Report. I am doing so on behalf of SHASA.
Introduction
We fully support Council’s initiative in drafting a Masterplan for Bateman’s Bay in consultation with the community. We particularly support achieving a win-win outcome for residents, tourists and the environment through a revised town plan and development processes which are both broadly based and balanced. We also recognise this requires sound research and consultation; and that the Shire cannot afford more developments resulting in major financial losses – such as has occurred with the Bay Pavilions.
In the above context, it is important for Councillors and the wider Shire community that this Report provides a respectful, balanced and well considered assessment of the large number of submissions. Since the Report covers some 20 pages, our response is thematic.
The Report has 3 main features:
- Promoting the Masterplan’s high rise on the foreshore policy as being the solution to the future viability of the Bay;
- Promoting the focus of the Shire’s growth on Bateman’s Bay;
- Rejecting any submissions with content that does not support the current Masterplan’s above priorities.
Executive Summary
The first sentence states that: “The purpose of this report is to acknowledge the submissions received… and to inform the council that the masterplan will be revised and take into account the feedback from the community”. What follows, however, is a summary of the consultation process and then proceeds to the above 3 steps.
In the third paragraph it divides the nearly 2000 commentators on the Plan (including 254 written submissions) between those who are: “Supporters of the Masterplan” and those with “opposing views”.
Again, no statistics are provided regarding those who were “for” or “against”. I have been advised by over a dozen people who have made submissions and seen numerous of them: all supported various aspects of the Masterplan and did not support other aspects. Given these facts, to divide people who have made submissions or comments, as this Report does, into those who want to “revitalise the local economy, enhance public spaces and modernise infrastructure”, and those who do not, is giving false and misleading advice to Councillors and the community.
The introductory material in the paper on Background and Considerations, points 1-5, SHASA does, however, see as fair and reasonable. SHASA in particular supports item 2 being a fundamental pillar of the Plan:
- support for climate adaption strategies,
- moving/locating large buildings to land with firm foundations above the flood zones;
- optimising green infrastructure and sustainable design; and
- strengthening Council’s climate resilience policies.
With item 6 of Considerations, however, the paper again makes false, divisive and dishonest generalisations, this time between those who “believe Bateman’s Bay needs revitalisation, [while] others want it to become a small fishing village”. This division does not pass any pub test: most people want the Bay to revitalise: the main questions are how and where?
Item 6 also advises that an emerging theme was “Recognition of Batemans Bay as a regional centre”. This is followed up in Item 8 which asserts the need for “focusing future Shire’s growth on Batemans Bay”. This should be qualified, since, while the Bay has reasonable claims to having some regional status as a place for shopping and tourism, there are a number of other centres in the Shire with claims for being more important centres for other matters – and with more potential for growth in those areas.
In Item 7 Masterplan Vision and Implementation, the Report refers to: “Criticism of the 75 year time frame [for the Plan] as overly ambitious.” This understatement is clearly out of step with the facts: no other comparable Government authority in Australia or the world has a 75 year planning time frame. This reflects that we live in an age of constant major technological and socio-economic change; and so the NSW and other Government norms for strategic plans is 20-25 years – which means Eurobodalla Shire, as an agency of the State Government, should also do likewise.
The Report on pages 63 to 65 largely focuses on support of high rise units along the foreshores. It promotes the Plan’s assumption that high rise unit developments of 80-100 metres on the foreshore will deliver “a more vibrant and inviting town”. SHASA asserts by contrast that the town planning evidence indicates that the required positive social and economic outcomes in Bateman’s Bay will more likely be achieved by a combination of:
- medium density and other development on sound land; together with
- appropriate co-location of community, government, educational and recreational facilities with other compatible commercial services such as cafes, clothes shops and galleries.
It should also be noted that the high rise on the foreshores option in the Masterplan appears to have been torpedoed by the recent arrival of the consultancy report to Council on the geotechnical composition of the Bay foreshore. We are advised it has found that it is mainly sand and mud to a depth of 20-30 metres. This means the Plan’s projected 80-100 high units around the Bay are too expensive to build and the result is a complete fiasco. We hope that Council’s commitment to transparency is honoured by the public release of this report.
Conclusion
The Report concludes with the argument in the Executive Summary that there are only two sides involved in consideration of the Masterplan: “Supporters” and those with “Opposing views”.
SHASA asserts by contrast that, as ratepayers and committed members of the Shire, the outcomes we require are that the Report acknowledges:
- we are all in this together financially, socially and economically – and want the best outcomes for Bateman’s Bay and the Shire;
- there are many more improvements and possible options eg, apart from high rise units, to achieving the Plan’s desired outcomes than are presently in the Masterplan; and therefore,
- the submissions need to be further reviewed, with well researched proposals presented to Councillors for consideration – rather than dismissed as “opposing views”.
If Council can revise its approach along the above lines, this will largely remove the divisions currently in the Masterplan; and ensure it is owned and respected by the community.
Yours sincerely
Frank Ross
SHASA
ABE (A Better Eurobodalla)
Public Forum Presentation 28th October 2025 on PER25/019 Adoption of Housing Strategy and PER25/20 draft Batemans Bay Masterplan – Response to Submissions
Good afternoon. Today I am presenting as Co-Convenor of A Better Eurobodalla (ABE), a community forum dedicated to having open and inclusive government in our region. ABE takes this opportunity to acknowledge Mark Ferguson’s recent appointment as CEO of Eurobodalla Shire Council, and wish him every success in delivering his avowed goals of working with the community to deliver financial sustainability, good governance, together with opportunity and growth for the people of Eurobodalla. We believe Mark’s goals are consistent with key principles that have informed ABE’s activities over the last 5 years, and look forward to working constructively with Mark and other Council staff in the future.
ABE welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback regarding the key issue of housing and strategic planning, and has applied our principles of good governance, evidence-based policy and transparency of process to agenda items PER25/019 Adoption of Housing Strategy and PER25/20 draft Batemans Bay Masterplan – Response to Submissions.
Eurobodalla Housing Strategy (EHS)
The amended Eurobodalla Housing Strategy reflects significant improvements over its predecessor, and includes many important elements that were previously missing, such as a dedicated Housing officer, the creation of a Housing Advisory Group (HAG), and incorporation of an evaluation and reporting framework to allow progress to be measured. ABE commends Council on these improvements.
However, the document is still lacking in many details and implementation information, and is data poor. It could more accurately be described as a plan for a strategy, rather than a fully realised strategy.
It also demonstrates a poor understanding of deliverables and measurables, as reflected in “Affordable housing is front of mind” and “A Committee is created”. In addition, section 7 indicates that a settlement strategy and master plans will be created as part of the EHS, but it is notable that these are being undertaken in the wrong sequence, with master plans being prepared prior to creation of an updated settlement strategy. A settlement strategy should ideally precede a master plan because the strategy provides the high-level, long-term vision and objectives, while the master plan then details the specific, physical road map to achieve that vision. The settlement strategy sets the overall goals for land use and character, and the master plan illustrates how to actually achieve those goals with detailed proposals for buildings, infrastructure, and public spaces.
Given the critical importance of housing to the Eurobodalla community, it would be desirable for the EHS to undergo another round of broad community consultation to address the remaining gaps and provide a robust evidence base to inform housing policy and planning decisions in the Eurobodalla.
However, given the urgency to address housing and associated strategic planning issues, the current version of the EHS could be adopted as a constructive starting point for the Housing Advisory Group, initiating priority activities, such as reviewing and updating the EHS to address identified gaps, as well as dealing with quality control issues and risk management for plans and actions developed under the EHS.
To implement this approach, the terms of reference for the HAG must give it a clearly defined remit to provide advice and policy on housing issues across the Eurobodalla, including provision of suitable data and evidence-based policy requirements on an as needed basis. So the HAG would not be confined to only dealing with Affordable Housing issues, but instead would take a holistic approach to housing in general which should lead to better outcomes and more integrated decision-making in the Eurobodalla. This oversight, advice and policy would extend to Master Plans developed under the umbrella of the EHS, such as the current Batemans Bay Master Plan.
In order for the HAG to function effectively, it would need to be properly resourced, with membership including a balance of technical skills and community representation. The resourcing and organizational status of the HAG would need to exceed those of current advisory committees of Council, which have a very mixed record of achievement. The HAG terms of reference and membership guidelines should come back before Council for formal approval.
Consultation Report on Batemans Bay Masterplan (BBMP)
The consultation report on the BBMP maintains the low standard of the BBMP. It is an incoherent conglomeration of unsupported anecdotal assertions with no substantive evidence presented to support its conclusions. No references or data are given to verify the information provided – instead readers must take everything at face value.
Some of the content is simply deceptive or misleading, as demonstrated in the following examples :
1) Page 66 states that “Council has attempted to create a Masterplan that addresses the short, medium and long-term visions for Batemans Bay, establishing three planning horizons:
- Horizon 1: 2050 short-term
- Horizon 2: 2075 medium term
- Horizon 3: 2100 long-term”
While this sounds reasonable, a text search of the draft BBMP reveals that none of this content is included in the document. How are readers supposed to be aware of these time horizons? Why weren’t these horizons articulated in the original text of the BBMP?
2) The site-specific feedback for the old bowling club site indicates that 2 options were submitted, consisting of an indoor multipurpose venue or health precinct, However, ABE is aware of at least 3 submissions which suggested that this site be transformed into a community park, yet these have not been acknowledged in this report. Why not? And what does this indicate about the reliability of other content in this report?
3) Council has obtained a $200,000 NSW Government grant on the basis that the BBMP will yield 8,000 additional dwellings. However, Council is not willing to divulge the information and assumptions which underpin this projected increase in dwellings. Councillor Mayne asked for this information in May 2025 as part of QoN25/001. Council’s response indicated it would be answered in the probity report, which we are still waiting to receive, and whose terms of reference have still not been released. Councillor Mayne has now submitted QoN25/004 for today’s meeting seeking the current status of the report.
When ABE submitted a GIPA request asking Council to provide the information regarding the data and assumptions which underlie the claimed 8,000 dwellings, we were advised “No, there are hundreds of pages of data that can lead to conclusions. All you need is a calculator.”
This is not a satisfactory response for an organization that is supposed to be working with and for the community.
The fact that Councillors Mayne and Pollock have submitted QoN’s regarding the BBMP for today’s meeting is indicative of major problems with this project. In view of the strategic importance of the BBMP to the wider Eurobodalla community (such as setting precedents for subsequent master plans in Moruya and Narooma), the poor quality and lacklustre documentation of the current draft BBMP poses significant economic, social and environmental risks to the Eurobodalla Shire which need to be urgently addressed.
The best way to initiate this task is for an independent peer review process to be undertaken on the draft BBMP which is currently being revised. This process should be informed by the 2022 NSW Government Local Government Design Review Manual which provides relevant guidance. While this would involve some additional expenditure, it would be money well spent to achieve best practice planning outcomes for the Eurobodalla. Our Shire, its ratepayers and NSW taxpayers cannot afford for Council to embark on another Bay Pavilions type planning fiasco.
The way forward
Given the unsatisfactory nature of the two strategic planning documents being considered today, ABE considers the best way forward is to conditionally support adoption of the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy as the basis of a work program for a revamped HAG; subject to the following being incorporated :
- The terms of reference for the Housing Advisory Group are drafted so that it has a broad advisory role for housing and planning issues in the Eurobodalla, including the development of Master Plans;.
- The Housing Advisory Group is adequately resourced and run transparently;
- The revised version of the draft BBMP foreshadowed in today’s consultation report is subject to an independent peer review prior to its next phase of public exhibition; and
- Following peer-review, the revised BBMP is put on public exhibition for a minimum 28 day period to ensure that the whole community is provided with an opportunity to provide feedback on the revised plan.
With the incorporation of these elements, ABE considers that the current Eurobodalla Housing Strategy can provide useful initial steps to better address this critical issue for our community.
Thank you.
Dr Brett Stevenson
Co-Convenor
A Better Eurobodalla
28/10/25
ROBERT POLLOCK PER25/019
Adoption of Draft Housing Strategy
Good afternoon, Councilors’ and Congratulations to Mark Fergerson on your appointment. We welcome you and hope you can lift the ESC and help grow our region. I have dealt with you recently and believe that you will bring new life to the ESC.
Moruya Needs a Masterplan and we can’t have housing planning rules hinder the future Masterplan. We can’t have the Cart before the horse. Very important we don’t stifle growth in the CBD area.
We welcome the new Regional Hospital coming quickly but you can’t have your cake and eat it .
Moruya is in a housing crisis both long term and short-term housing and urgent action is required.
Moruya has no land available for future staff at the New Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. I have come back from the ERH this morning where our staff is working on the project [MESCO]. I can tell you this is progressing at a great pace, will be completed in June 2026 some 9 months away and then open early 2027.
Councilors within this chamber must act quickly to get the urgent issues addressed. Without housing for staff and without short term accommodation for relatives of sick patients, where will people be able to stay. Moruya has one motel in town, one just outside the township and one at the Airport, some pubs in town have accommodation but very limited. Moruya has no major land development for future staff and clinicians to live.
I would like to make it clear I have no financial interest in Allan Rutherford’s development and have no DA applications in ESC.
Allan has worked hard on the flood mitigation and has got a DA ready for urgently needed Motel accommodation and in town living units, exactly what Moruya needs now.
I was born here in Moruya and know what happens during flooding, I rode my pushbike at a youngster in 1975 through the flood waters in town and I can tell you they are not rapidly moving water but backfilling water that rises and goes away quickly and has no rapid moving water like the North Coast of NSW.
1925 Flood was caused by the bridge at the time and the cross members creating a Dam effect, this caused water to back up and infiltrate the town CBD. Our Modern bridges don’t allow this to happen and I think this flood event is highly unlikely to happen again. The current ESC 1-100 level is one meter higher that the 1925 event and if you want evidence of this all councilors are welcome to view a piece of timber at the shop that actual shows the mud mark on the post removed from renovation works in 1990, the mark is at my knee height at floor level in the shop, yet the 1-100 mark is 1 meter higher.
Allan has designed his buildings to comply with the 1-100 Flood level and a further high level above.
I wish Allan all the best with a development that is desperately needed in our town immediately and hope a quick and common-sense approach can occur at the ESC.
Robert W.R Pollock President Moruya Business Chamber
Allan Rutherford
Notes for Council Meeting 28 October – PER25/019 Adoption of Draft Housing Strategy
- Acknowledge Mayor, Councilors, GM (congratulate him on his recent appointment), Staff.
- I am here to speak on PER25/019 Adoption of Draft Housing Strategy and to ask Council to make some minor but very important changes to the draft Housing Strategy.
- We are all acutely aware of the housing crisis gripping all parts of our country and in particular our Shire and Moruya.
- I congratulate Council on attempting to put in place strategies to address the housing crisis.
- In the case of Moruya, the challenges regarding housing are only going to worsen if Council does not take a strong visionary position that supports not only the supply of housing but the growth of our local economy, the support of our town centre and its many businesses.
- We are lucky to have under construction a new modern regional hospital here in Moruya.
- While this will bring many much-needed benefits to the Region, it will also create additional demand for housing in Moruya and demand for types of housing not currently available or planned for.
- This demand brings with it new opportunities. Opportunities to provide additional housing, different forms of housing, economic development, activation of our town center, stronger year-round economy, jobs for our community.
- These opportunities however will only be realised if Council sets the right vision, policy environment and a planning framework to support its implementation.
- Unfortunately, while the Draft Housing Strategy acknowledges some of these opportunities, the opportunities are not supported by the actions proposed within the draft Housing Strategy.
- The strategy includes statements such as the following:
- strong potential for new housing through infill and redevelopment in existing urban areas like Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma—places already supported by infrastructure and transport. These areas are well-placed for increased housing density and renewal, helping make better use of land.”
- Medium and higher-density housing will be built in areas that are easy to walk around and already have good access to services. This will support sustainable growth and make it easier for people to reach shops, transport and other amenities.
- Planning will prioritise medium and higher-density housing near town centres and along key transport routes to improve connectivity and make better use of land.
- Empower the local economy by supporting housing for key workers and enabling workforce attraction and retention.
- Protecting sensitive environments and the unique character of each area by applying planning controls that balance growth with conservation, respecting ecological values and cultural heritage.
- Despite this the draft Housing Strategy at Action 6.4 states:
- Apply bushfire and flood resilience standards in high-risk areas.
- This makes sense – we want to and need to mitigate the risk of bushfire and flooding and the NSW Government has policy, legislation and guidance as to how to assess and mitigate such risks so as to not unnecessarily sterilize land.
- However unfortunately, in response to this action the draft Housing Strategy states under “What are we doing?” that the Council will –
- Update planning controls and Settlement Strategy to ensure new development is not within high-risk areas.
- The draft Housing Strategy then goes on to state under “Consequence (What is it going to achieve)” that Council will –
- Remove development from high-risk areas.
- This means that there will be no new development in most of the Moruya Town Centre due to the existing flood risk.
- Such a blanket and definitive position is contrary to the broader opportunities and vision for the Moruya Town Centre expressed in the Draft Housing Strategy and the assessment and planning frameworks put in place by the NSW Government.
- Such a position will sterilize much of the Moruya Town Centre, prohibit merit consideration of shop top housing, undermine the economic future of the Moruya Town Centre, and prevent the provision of much needed housing in locations where people can walk to the services they need.
- This is not the intent and purpose of the planning system – to have one single issue determine the policy or strategic outcome for the area. This must be set after considering and waying up all relevant issues including social and economic considerations.
- If we are going to provide higher density housing in Moruya as is needed and as is suggested by the draft Housing Strategy then the impact of Action 6.4 will be to force development into the older character streets and housing areas adjacent to the town center, contrary to the vision in the draft Housing Strategy and to the detriment of the amenity of our town.
- We need to consider and address bushfire and flood risks but that should be done on the merits of each proposal, assessed under the appropriate framework established by the NSW Government, weighed against economic and social considerations not by applying blanket prohibitions to our Town Centre.
- I strongly encourage Council to remove Action 6.4 and associated statements from the draft Housing Strategy or amend the wording of the action so as not to apply a prohibition on development but rather to adopt a merit-based assessment process and considers the social and economic circumstances.
- If Council adopts the draft Housing Strategy as presented to todays meeting it will be at the detriment of Moruya and the goal to provide more much needed housing to support our community and the growth in demand for housing that will come in response to the new Regional Hospital.
- I also request that Council recognize the towns of Moruya and Narooma in Action 7.1.
THAT Council:
- endorses the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy with the following amendments:
- remove Action 6.4 as drafted in the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy and replace it with:
# | Action | What are we doing? | Consequences (What is it going to achieve | Deliverable/ Measurable | $ Budget |
6.4 | Apply a risk management approach to the consideration of natural hazards that considers the economic and social impacts of the decision | Apply a risk-based merit assessment process to the consideration of natural hazards when reviewing planning documents and development proposals while also considering the social and economic impacts. | Ensure that natural hazards are considered in the planning process in a manner that supports the wider strategic direction of the Housing Strategy and does not unnecessarily sterilise land. | Support the growth and development of our towns while managing the risks to life and property from natural hazards. | AWEB |
- in Action 7.1 after “Batemans Bay” add “Moruya and Narooma”.
- prepares a final implementation plan in conjunction with the Housing Advisory group to guide Council in the delivery of the Housing Strategy.
- prepares an interim Affordable Housing policy that outlines proposed targets for affordable housing and planning controls/ incentives to increase the supply of affordable housing.
Presentation to ESC Public Forum 28 October 2025 by Neil Gow, Convenor, Eurobodalla Welcome Park Group
Good afternoon, Walawaani, Mayor and Councillors, General Manager, senior staff and members of the public.
Thank you for the opportunity to address Council on the important matter about the future of the previous Bateman’s Bay Bowling Club site adjacent to Vesper Street/The Prince’s Highway in Batemans Bay.
(As an aside I would like to acknowledge the appointment of Mr Mark Ferguson as the GM of ESC, and wish him every success in that role)
I am the convenor of the recently formed Eurobodalla Welcome Park Group which seeks to preserve the old Batemans Bay bowling cub site as a community park to serve current and future residents of an and visitors to our Shire.
As a beekeeper, based ay Murringo near Young, NSW, I have been driving past the site of the Batemans Bay Bowling Club since 1972, and watched the bowlers, originally immaculately dressed in their whites, and more recently in all colours and even barefooted on occasions, enjoying their sport!
After becoming a Eurobodalla ratepayer and resident since 2002, I have had this experience more frequently, and saw the activity at the Boiwlo as an integral part of a happy country town. But since 2016 it has been the complete opposite. For the majority of this time, it has been vacant and unloved, or a building materials depot and site office for the bridge building project. And since 2022, it has been vacant again. We visitors and locals drive past this sad, neglected allotment regularly and wonder what, if anything, is happening and hope for something better. The years since 2016 have seen a lot of talk, but no apparent action.
Many believe it is still the community recreational land it has been since 1918, when it was donated to the community by Duncan Forbes Mackay, a popukar local benefactor. Many know it was purchased by the Council in 2016 and that moves have been made to sell it to a developer. But still it lies idle. Now we are told that its fate will be decided when the draft Batemans Bay Master Plan is finalised and adopted. That plan, on page 71, identifies it as a site for commercial development for a cluster of five high rise buildings, following its sale to a developer. Feedback on the draft Master Plan, under consideration today, recommends its use as an indoor multipurpose venue or a health and emergency services precinct, including a new Batemans Bay hospital. My strong recommendation, included in my personal submission, that the land be used as a community park, has been either overlooked or ignored.
The narrative that it will be sold for development has so often been repeated, that many people think it is the only possible course of action.
But NO, it is not!! The large Under Consideration signs which graced the site for nigh on two years, have been recently removed. I understand there are no current negotiations being undertaken directly by Council or a Council appointed agent to sell it.
Now is the opportunity for the Eurobodalla community to reclaim the land and extend its historic ownership of this site into the future.
After purchasing the land from the Catalina Country Club in April 2016, a majority of the six councillors present at the meeting on 12 July 2016 voted to classify it as operational land. The alternative was to classify it as community use land, preserving it from sale and limiting its use for community benefit. Contemporary Council documents state there were 15 submissions received during the 28 day notification period, with 11 of them being from the same unidentified group who, following council assurances, withdrew their objection! I do not believe that the notification notice was a genuine community consultation, but rather a regulatory requirement.
The successful motion to classify the land as operational included the words “Council assures the community that they will not lose tenure over and of the four titles of Bowling Cub land without comprehensive and transparent community engagement.” The draft Batemans Bay Master Plan consultation process cannot masquerade as a “comprehensive and transparent community engagement” about the possible disposal of the four lots which comprise the old Bowling Club site, as it is buried in a much larger and often confusing document.
In 2025 councillors have the power to reclassify this land for community use, which would remove it from sale, and therefore from the prospect of high-rise development, and allow it to be developed as an open space park area for the benefit of Eurobodalla citizens and visitors on this gateway site of our shire. This would allow the initiation of a process, separate to the Batemans Bay Master Plan discussion, to develop a Plan of Management and business plan based on wide community consultation. Current social media comments show there are many ideas in the community for its development as a community park.
Councillors should place a higher value on community benefit and heritage values than on private profit.
Councillors, the decision is in your hands!!
Thank you
CID MATEO
Walawaani njindiwan. Budyari mullinawul. I hope you all had a good journey today and you return safely to your homes.
Good afternoon.
Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Councillors, General Manager (congratulations on your permanent appointment), Council Staff,
Fellow Members of the Eurobodalla community
Thank you for the opportunity to speak.
My name is Cid Mateo. I’m here to speak to you today on Agenda Item PER25/019, Adoption of the draft Housing Strategy. I speak to you as resident of the Eurobodalla community, and my views here today are based on feedback from a range of community members, a constructive assessment of the work to date to develop a housing strategy, and my professional and lived experience.
Acknowledgement of progress
First, to Councillors, I want to praise you for requesting material revisions to the draft Housing Strategy presented to you around 12 months ago. The draft had veered off track and you’ve managed to bring it back on the right track. This has been a ‘circuit breaker’ for housing policy in the Eurobodalla Shire.
Second, I want to praise Council Staff for taking on this request and producing a draft Housing Strategy that is now worthy of further independent assessment and is well on the way to being finalised as a targeted housing strategy, specific to, and in the interests of, the whole Eurobodalla community.
The impact of these recent interventions cannot be dismissed. While its taken a long time to get to this point, the community now has a draft Housing Strategy on track to deal with the broad spectrum and complexity of contemporary housing issues in the Shire. Thank you again to all of those involved, Councillors, Council Staff, and Community Members, whose diligent work, provided free of charge, is a valuable asset to the broader community’s interest.
Dwelling on this for a moment, this change in approach is a critical first step that had to be taken. Whether the approach is a genuine shift remains to be seen, however, I really want to acknowledge and support these developments. I also want to acknowledge that many in the community have welcomed this.
Acknowledging the draft Housing Strategy has some way to go, in its current form, it is an example of the minimum standard that a strategic planning document should reach before the Council sends it to independent expert review and to the community for public consultation. This is the minimum benchmark the Council should achieve for our future strategic, policy and planning documents. Well done!
Recommended improvements to the draft Housing Strategy
Having said this, my assessment is that the draft Housing Strategy still requires more work to be a useful implementation strategy and plan to improve housing outcomes in the Eurobodalla. While I don’t have enough time to go into detail in this presentation, I am available to discuss my analysis with Councillors and Council Staff should the Council believe there is value in me doing so.
I’ll touch on a few concerns and how the draft Housing Strategy should be improved.
First, the evidential basis of the Strategy is weak and inconsistent. This is a concern throughout the document. To improve the draft, I recommend basing all of its assertions and claims on the data and evidence, and reference these transparently. For example, a key assumption of the Strategy is population growth. The draft asserts the population of the Eurobodalla is projected to grow by around 8,000 persons by 2041. Using the same data source, the Australian Bureau of Statistics population data repackaged by firm, .id, and published on the Council’s website, population growth is projected to grow by around 4,000 persons by 2046. This matters because the draft Housing Strategy’s assumption requires around 250 dwellings to be built per year to meet demand, while Council’s published ABS data implies 100 dwellings per year to meet demand. That’s a big difference and a significant risk for targeted housing and planning in the Shire.
Another key inconsistency in the draft is the lack of evidence provided for the location of new housing. The highest demand for housing is correctly identified as the coastal areas between Tomakin and Broulee, and Malua Bay to Guerilla Bay, and other coastal areas to a lesser extent. However, land use opportunities for housing supply are confined to the towns of Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma. Why does the draft predetermine a narrow set of housing sites? The Housing Strategy should be comprehensive, not piecemeal. The obvious disconnect between the demand and supply of housing is not adequately explained or resolved with data or evidence in the draft.
A major concern with the draft is that its Implementation Plan is unaccountable, performative, and assertive, rather than anchored in evidence and analysis. The Plan is absent of timelines for all of its deliverables. This critically weakens the Housing Strategy because there is an absence of priorities, responsibility and accountability for its progress over time. I recommend that all actions in the Implementation Plan be published with at least an annual timeline of action. This informs stakeholders and the community openly.
In summary, the draft Housing Strategy is much closer but not there yet; it lacks accountability and has low ambition. There is no mention about how and when the community will know the work has been done. The community needs to be brought along with the work, not kept in the dark. We can’t afford to keep kicking evidence, transparency and accountability down the road.
A solution to complete the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy in a timely way
Councillors, with a bit of fine-tuning, the draft Housing Strategy can be finalised relatively quickly.
I recommend you not adopt the draft Housing Strategy today. It is much improved but it’s not fit for purpose yet.
So as to not unnecessarily delay its completion, I recommend you urgently send the draft Housing Strategy for independent expert review by housing policy specialists familiar with local government and NSW State and Australian Government housing policies and existing support. The experts’ recommendations should then be reflected in the final draft Housing Strategy. Expert feedback should be incorporated into the draft before the end of 2025.
At the same time, I recommend you establish a Housing and Planning Advisory Group, made up of representatives of all key housing and planning stakeholders, which can finalise and progress all aspects of the Eurobodalla Housing Strategy.
To support the Housing and Planning Advisory Group, I recommend the prompt establishment of adequate Terms of Reference for the Group so that it can progress and deliver whole-of-community solutions to the complex and nuanced circumstances of housing in the Eurobodalla.
The final draft would then be sent to the Housing and Planning Advisory Group for endorsement by the end of January 2026, and on to the Council for adoption in the first quarter of 2026, aiming for the February 2026 Council Meeting to adopt the final draft.
This process need not delay the Housing Strategy, instead it is a prudent and measured approach, which acknowledges and accepts Council’s and the community’s limited capacity, and also recognises that a handful of days, from
22 to 28 October 2025, for Councillors and the Eurobodalla community to evaluate and adopt a completely revised Housing Strategy, is not adequate and a long way from sound practice and governance.
Councillors, and Council Staff, together we have already achieved a lot. Let’s get the Housing Strategy ‘up to scratch’ in the next few months and let’s get on with the job.
Thank you