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Community Participation Plans

The department encourages Councils to engage with the community.

It will be clearer and easier for members of the community to understand how they can participate in planning decisions, with new community participation plans (CPPs) that all planning authorities – every council and NSW agency with key planning approval functions – will need to prepare. CPPs are a new requirement under the EP&A Act. 

The CPPs will set out how planning authorities will engage with their communities across their statutory planning functions. While the plans must meet the minimum requirements for community participation that are set out in Schedule 1 to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act, planning authorities can go beyond the minimum requirements if they decide it is appropriate.

The EP&A Act also now requires planning decision-makers to give and publicly notify reasons for their decisions, including how community views were considered, on key planning matters.

View the current Community Participation Plans by Council

Albury City Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Armidale Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Ballina Shire Council Community Participation 2019

Balranald Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Bathurst Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Bayside Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Bega Valley Community Participation Plan 2019

Bellingen Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Berrigan Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Blacktown Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Bland Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Blayney Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Blue Mountains City Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Bogan Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Bourke Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Broken Hill City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Burwood Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Byron Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Cabonne Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Campbelltown City Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Canterbury Bankstown Community Participation Plan 2020

Central Coast Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Central Darling Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Cessnock Community Participation Plan April 2023

City of Canada Bay Community Participation Plan 2019

City of Parramatta Community Participation Plan 2019

City of Ryde Community Participation Plan 2019

City of Sydney Community Participation Plan 2023

Clarence Valley Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Coolamon Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Coffs Harbour City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Coonamble Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Cowra Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Cumberland Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Dubbo Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Dungog Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Edward River Community Participation Plan 2019

Eurobodalla Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Fairfield City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Federation Council Community Particpation Plan 2019

Forbes Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Georges River Community Participation Plan 2020

Gilgandra Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Glen Innes Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Goulburn  Mulwaree Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Greater Hume Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Griffith Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Gunnedah Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Gwydir Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Hawkesbury City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Hay Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Hilltops Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Hornsby Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Hunters Hill Community Participation Plan 2019

Inner West Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Inverell Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Junee Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Kiama Municipal Council  Community Participation Plan 2019

Ku-ring-gai Council Community Participation 2020

Kyogle Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Lachlan Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Lake Macquarie Community Participation Plan 2019

Lane Cove Community Participation Plan 2019

Leeton Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Lismore City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Lithgow Community Participation Plan 2020

Liverpool Council Community Engagement Strategy and Community Participation Plan 2022

Liverpool Plains Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Lockhart Shire Council - Community Participation Plan 2019

Maitland Community Participation Plan 2019

MidCoast Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Mid-Western Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Mosman Community Participation Plan 2020

Moree Plains Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Murrumbideee Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Muswellbrook Community Participation Plan 2019

Nambucca Valley Council Community Participation Plan 2019.

Narrabri Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Narrandera Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Narromine Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Newcastle Community Participation Plan 2019

North Sydney Community Participation Plan 2019

Northern Beaches Community Participation Plan 2019

Oberon Community Participation Plan 2021

Orange City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Parkes Shire Community Participation Plan 2022

Penrith Community Participation Plan 2020

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Port Stephens Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Randwick City Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Richmond Valley Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Singleton Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Sutherland Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Shoalhaven Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Shellharbour City Council Community Participation 2020

Snowy Monaro Planning and Development Community Participation Plan 2019

Strathfield Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Tamworth Regional Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Temora Shire Community Participation Plan 2019

Tenterfield Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

The Hills Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Tweed Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019 

Upper Hunter Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Upper Lachlan Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Walcha Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Warren Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2021

Warrumbungle Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Waverley Community Participation Plan 2019

Weddin Community Participation Plan 2019

Wentworth Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2020

Willoughby Community Participation Plan 2019

Wollondilly Shire Council Community Participation Plan 2019

Wollongong Community Participation Plan 2019

Woollahra Community Participation Plan 2019

Yass Valley Council Community Participation Plan 2019

View the current Community Participation Plans by Agency 

Why have CPPs been introduced and will they duplicate work already being carried out by councils?

The Government is committed to enhancing opportunities for all members of the community to participate in planning decisions to achieve better planning outcomes. The new CPPs will detail how each planning authority will engage the community in the planning decisions it makes.

In preparing their plans authorities will have to take into consideration new community participation principles, which set the standard for how the community should be engaged.

Councils may choose to meet their obligation for a CPP by incorporating the CPP requirements into the broader community engagement strategies they prepare under local government legislation but need to ensure the document meets the requirements of the EP&A Act.

Why do decision-makers need to publish the reasons for decisions?

The requirement to give and publicly notify reasons for decisions came into effect on 1 July 2018.

It is a requirement for all planning authorities to make available the reason for their planning decisions. This helps to deliver greater transparency and community confidence in the NSW planning process. It will make it easier for stakeholders to understand how their input, and that of others, was considered and how this input informed decisions on development applications.

The statement of reasons needs to be meaningful. It needs to clearly set out, in a manner reflecting the complexity of the proposed development being considered, how community views were taken into account. Read the department’s guidance, Notifying Planning Decisions - Guidelines for local councils and other consent authorities (PDF, 399 KB) on how councils and other consent authorities notify the community of planning decisions.

 

Last updated: 13/03/2024