Outcome

At its meeting held on 28 November 2022, Georges River Council resolved to adopt the four Generic Plans of Management and Penshurst Park Plan of Management.

The Plans of Management are available on Council’s website.

Background

The Georges River community is home to over 236 parks and open spaces. They are great places to socialise, exercise, observe, and relax with family and friends, and give us the benefits of the great outdoors on our doorstep. From pocket parks nestled inside our suburbs like Oleander Reserve, to iconic and sprawling bush lands like Oatley Park, Georges River has a diverse and highly localised park network you can enjoy.

Open space in Georges River is either Council owned Community Land or Crown Land owned by the State Government. For those parks that are Council owned, they are covered and guided by Plans of Management, as defined by the Local Government Act 1993 (LG Act). We develop these Plans to outline the use of the space and how we can work together to maintain current services, propose new and different uses, and determine what is and isn’t permissible on the land. Certain parks in our area have their own specified Plan of Management, which you can search for here. For those that do not have their own Plan, they fall under our Generic Plans of Management.

As of July 2018, local councils that manage dedicated or reserved Crown Land are required to manage that land as if it were public land under the LG Act – including applying the plan of management requirements of that Act. Both Community Land and Crown Land are now required to be categorised in accordance with the LG Act. The category establishes typical and consistent objectives for management of open space of that category.

The categories are documented in the plan of management and include:

	Natural Area -  There are 37 Crown Reserve Natural Areas included in this Plan, which provide conservation of natural bushland, foreshore or wetlands, low key informal recreational opportunities for the community and important landscape relief and buffer to urban development. The individual Natural Areas vary in size from 0.07 hectares up to 9.5 hectares. The total area of Natural Areas covered by this plan of management is approximately 39 hectares.
	Sportsground - There are 9 Crown Reserve Sportsgrounds (of a total of 18 Sportsgrounds in the LGA). The individual Sportsgrounds vary in size from 0.5 hectares up to 36 hectares (while Hurstville Golf Course is 39 hectares). The total area of Sportsgrounds covered by this plan of management is approximately 123.8 hectares
	Park - Local Parks are generally small open spaces ranging in size from 0.0121 hectares (121m2) in area but also including several district parks of up to 1.5 hectares. A number of parks covered by this generic Plan of Management are foreshore parks along the Georges River or Salt Pan Creek.
	General Community Use-  There are 41 parcels of land included in the General Community Use areas plan, which provide varied facilities and services for the community. The individual General Community Use areas vary in size from 0.06 hectares up to 1.1 hectares

Sites that have important cultural heritage values may also be categorised ‘Area of Cultural Significance’.

In response to the 2018 changes to the Crown Lands Management Act (CLM Act), Council has prepared four new Generic Plans of Management for the main categories listed above. Older Plans under the former Kogarah and Hurstville Councils have been updated in the process. We're now ready to publicly exhibit these Plans and we're inviting you to view and provide your feedback. You can use the links under 'View our Draft Plans' to view the plans, or continue reading for more information on how you can be involved in the feedback process.

Categorisation and Public Hearing

Under Section 40A of the Local Government Act 1993, Council is required to hold a public hearing into the proposed categorisation or re-categorisation of Community Land. A public hearing will be required in relation to the following lots in our Public Hearing List.

The Independent Public Hearing will be on 28 July 2022 at 6pm. To register, take the following link.

How to be involved

Community feedback is essential in helping guide us in our decision-making process. Your feedback will influence the choices we make when developing our plans and ensure we are on the right path to achieving and managing our community's overall vision.

The draft Generic Plans of Management will be on public exhibition from 15 June 2022 to 5 August 2022:

• Via the supporting documents tab on this page
• Georges River Civic Centre, MacMahon Street, Hurstville
• Hurstville Library, Corner of Queens Road and Dora Street, Hurstville
• Kogarah (Clive James) Library and Service Centre, Kogarah Town Square, Belgrave Street, Kogarah

If you would like to provide feedback or comments on the Policy, we encourage you to:

	Complete our online feedback form. Use the the links below to submit your online feedback, or
	Return a hard copy submission.

If you are returning a hard copy submission, please quote Generic Plans of Management, Public Exhibition – SF20/4967 at the beginning of your submission and return:

	In person to Georges River Council Civic Centre or Libraries
	Via email: mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au
	Via post: PO Box 205, Hurstville BC NSW 1481

The closing date for responses is Friday 5 August 2022.

Any submissions received are considered public, however, a person may request to have their personal details suppressed. For more information about Council’s Privacy Management Plan, contact the Public Officer on 9330 6400. If you make a submission and have made political donations or gifts, a statement must be completed.

If you have any questions on the Plan of Management, please contact the Strategic Planning section on (02) 9330 9469.

Do you need assistance reading and accessing this page?

For a free interpreter call us via the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) on 131 450

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, please contact the National Relay Service:

• Voice Relay number: 1300 555 727
• TTY number: 133 677