FAQs

Plans of Management for Crown land like the Draft Crown Reserves Plan of Management: 

• Categorises Crown community land to guide use by the public.   
• Identifies management objectives and performance targets for the land.   
• Permits uses and developments consistent with a Crown Reserve’s purpose.  
• Provides express authorisations to grant leases and licences over the land.  

The Crown Land Management Act 2016 requires that plans of management are prepared over certain Crown land. Plans of Management set out how Council intends to manage the land and how it can be used by the public. Crown land has public purposes set by the Minister that guide its management and use. Most of the Crown reserves under the Draft Crown Reserves Plan of Management have the public purpose of “Public Recreation.” A list of the Crown reserves (and their public purposes) under the Draft Plan of Management is in the document section of this page.  

A Draft Plan of Management for Crown land must have the Minister’s approval before Council can seek the public’s comment on the draft plan. On 2 August 2021 Council resolved to send the Draft Crown Reserves Plan of Management to the Minister. The Minister (through the Department of Planning and Environment – Crown Lands) required some changes. These changes are shown in red text in the 2023 draft document. Council received the Minister’s approval to exhibit the Draft Plan of Management in April 2023.   

The Department wanted Council to include additional information. The Draft Plan of Management was originally 156 pages. Now the draft Plan of Management is 235 pages.   Generally, the changes involved: 

• More detailed category mapping for each reserve. 
• Some changes to community land categories applying to the land. 
• Including leasing and licencing information, and  
• Having a “Future Directions” section for all 32 Crown reserves rather than just for the Crown reserves with heritage listed items as per our Local Environmental Plan (LEP).  

The Draft Plan of Management is on exhibition for public comment from 27 April to 9 June 2023. Download the draft plan and have a look to find out more. Attend an information session online. Submissions can be made until 9 June 2023, via email, online by completing a feedback form, or by sending a letter addressed to the General Manager. At the end of the exhibition period, a report of the results of the exhibition activities will be provided to Council. For enquiries, please contact Council’s Community Land or Crown Land Management Officers on 4227 7111.

Community land categories are defined by the Local Government Act 1993 and guide Council’s management of community land (Crown or Council owned). The possible community land categories that could apply to community land are shown in the figure below:  

Each community land category has defined core objectives under the Local Government Act which guide Council’s management of the land. Leases and licencing of community land is to be consistent with the core objectives of the community land category that applies to the land. For Crown land, leases and licences are required to be in line with the public purpose (that is set by the Minister) as well.  

Feedback will be considered and reported to Councillors for consideration.