Which direction should Orange expand? Council wants to hear from landowners

Orange City Council wants to hear from landowners about which directions the city should expand to provide new housing.

The Council is continuing to work on the development of a Local Housing Strategy to guide the provision of housing in Orange for the next 30 years.

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said it was crucial that the views of local residents are considered.


FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Should housing in Orange continue to go out, or up or even in?

“As we move into the next phase of this important project, there are two targets for community consultation,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “We want to hear from landholders and the general community.”

“We need to balance decisions about whether the outer suburbs of Orange will continue to expand with traditional housing subdivisions, or if the focus should be more towards infill opportunities and increasing housing density.

“Along with the community, landowners and developers, Orange City Council aims to manage the process of meeting demand and efficiently supplying infrastructure such as water, sewer and roads.

“Protection of the water catchment areas from housing development has been a longstanding priority. The issue of water is important along with protecting prime agricultural land and ecological values.

“Council would like to ensure that any areas identified for potential rezoning align as best we can with the intentions of landowners in and around the affected areas. It’s expected that some landowners will want to explore the potential for their land for new houses, while other landowners won’t be interested in this, preferring to maintain their current rural environment.

“Orange City Council wants to consult with, and hear the views of, people from both these camps.”

Orange City Council Planning and Development Committee chair Cr Russell Turner said the housing strategy would set long-term plans in place to guide the one-by-one decisions about individual housing subdivisions.

“The Council wants to avoid the potential for this housing growth to interfere with the factors that some residents value about their neighbourhood. The Council wants to protect the environment and make efficient use of infrastructure and Council resources.

“With so many factors to balance Council needs to hear from landowners that may be interested in rezoning of their land during the 30-year lifetime of the strategy. Importantly, registering an interest doesn’t mean that your land will definitely be selected by the strategy.

“For example, there may be more land being offered for development than is needed. Other interested landowners may have land that is better suited by having lower environmental impacts or being easier to service.

“The strategy may see value in encouraging more infill development of existing urban areas.

“To help set these priorities, Council wants to hear from any interested landowner, whether for greenfield subdivision or infill development.”

Submissions to the Council don’t have to be highly detailed but can simply be a short description of the perceived potential, such as the size and possible number of lots or units that could be achieved.

/Public Release. View in full here.