Coffs Harbour LGA

As part of producing a Local Growth Management Statement, Coffs Harbour City Council contracted HillPDA to provide a strategic framework to facilitate future employment growth within the municipalities centres and employment lands. HillPDA’s study determined priorities and actions to accommodate and create opportunities for industrial, retail and commercial activities to 2040. The study included an analysis of recent market trends and drivers, identification of current supply and capacity, and projections of future floorspace/land requirements to accommodate additional growth required to meet employment/population targets.

Key elements of the study included:

• Providing an understanding of the current issues relating to employment land availability, affordability and diversity across the LGA
• An audit of industrial, office and retail floorspace in the LGA to better understand land use profiles and provide recommendations that built on existing businesses’ strengths
• A trends and literature review to identify areas of growth and relative decline, with a focus on emerging types of employment in regional cities
• Consulting with key stakeholders to gauge developer sentiment, strengths, constraints, and provide opportunity for input
• Assessing the suite of options available to reduce vacancies in the Coffs Harbour City Centre, providing a range of options such as development incentives
• Calculating and analysing demand for employment land across low, medium and high growth scenarios.

Outcome

HillPDA was able to develop the strategy in close consultation with Coffs Harbour Council undertaking a number of workshops and conversations to align the actions with the broader growth management statement. The final strategy was provided as a Chapter of the broader growth management statement. It was supported by a more robust technical study. For ease of integration, HillPDA prepared the chapter in indesign using Council’s existing template.

Services:

• Land use planning and strategy
• Stakeholder engagement
• Policy analysis
• Demographic and industry trend analysis
• Employment land demand and forecasting
• Desktop floorspace audit
• LEP planning control drafting

Client: Coffs Harbour City Council
Project date: Jul 2019 to Dec 2019

For more information, contact Elle Clouston, Associate