FAQs

The Local Government Act (1993) requires Councils to prepare Plans of Management (POM) for all land classified as community land. All public land is required to be classified as either 'community land' or 'operational land'. The Local Government Act (1993) allows for generic plans of management that cover a range of community land across the City, and for specific plans of management that cover a specific area of community land, such as Rathmines Park. 

The Crown Land Management Act (2016) requires Councils to include all Crown land that they have been appointed to manage as Crown Land Manager within a plan of management, in accordance with the Local Government Act (1993)

The draft Plan of Management for Community Land has been significantly updated from the previous 2011 document. It categorises all parcels of community land and Crown land that are not within a specific plan of management within the Lake Macquarie Local Government Area. This includes the categorisation of Crown land and new parcels of community land that have previously not been categorised. The draft plan also re-categorises a number of existing community land parcels. These have been re-categorised to ensure they meet the core objectives for the management of that land.

The Local Government Act 1993 requires all land owned by Council which is classified as community land to be categorised.  Community land may be categorised into one of the following categories; natural area, sportsground, park, area of cultural significance, or general community use.  Community land categorised as natural area is to be further categorised as one or more of the following:

• bushland
• foreshore
• watercourse
• wetland
• escarpment
• a category prescribed by the regulations.

The draft Plan of Management for Community Land has included the following land categories within the plan:

• Park
• Sportsground
• General Community Use
• Natural Area
  • Bushland
  • Foreshore
  • Watercourse
  • Wetland
  • Escarpment

Refer to pages 236-314 of the Draft Plan of Management for maps of the proposed categories.

The Local Government Act 1993 sets out ‘core objectives’ for each of the categories and sub-categories.  The core objectives outline the approach to management of the land covered by the particular category.