Employment Land Use Strategy

Employment lands are areas zones for industrial or similar purposes.

These lands provide essential space for activities that keep out city running, such as utilities and urban services, including depots, repair trades and services centres, and research, design, manufacture, warehousing, distribution and sale of goods and services.

While employment-generating land use can occur on other types of land, for the purpose of this strategy we are focusing on land zoned E3 Productivity Support, E4 General Industrial, E5 Heavy Industrial, SP4 Enterprise, W4 Working Waterfront.

We are a growing city. Over the next 20 years, we’re expecting to welcome about 40,000 new residents. As more people move to Lake Macquarie, we need more local jobs, services and businesses to support our community.

For many years, mining and coal‑fired power generation has played a big role in providing local jobs, but these industries are declining. Today, Lake Macquarie’s economy is becoming more diverse, with growth in healthcare, education, construction, renewable energy, manufacturing, logistics and many small local businesses.

Our Employment Land Use Strategy will help us plan ahead for new industries and ensure we have enough land in the right locations for businesses to start up, grow and provide jobs close to where people live.

The Employment Land Use Strategy supports the vision and goals of the Lake Macquarie Community Strategic Plan and Local Strategic Planning Statement by providing more detailed direction on how land is planned, protected and used to support jobs and industry.

The strategy also aligns with the NSW Government’s Hunter Regional Plan 2041, which identifies North West Lake Macquarie and Greater Morisset as regionally significant growth areas.

You can make a submission by Monday 7 July 2026 using one of the methods below:

• Online submission form 
• Email [email protected] with the subject heading ‘Draft Employment Land Use Strategy’
• Write to Lake Macquarie City Council Attn: Integrated Planning, Box 1906, Hunter Region Mail Centre, NSW, 2310.

Hard copies of the draft strategy are available to view at Lake Mac Libraries branches citywide. 

Your submission can be as concise or as long as you wish.

Ideally, you will express your level of support for the proposal and provide detailed and specific feedback. The feedback will be reviewed by staff and later presented to Council to make an informed decision.

If you have made a reportable political donation or gift in the last two years your submission must be accompanied by a Disclosure Statement of Political Donations and Gifts where Council is Approval Authority - Submitters form. For more information on reportable political donations or gifts, or to download a copy of this form go to lakemac.com.au. Please note failure to complete a statement, if a political donation/gift has been made, is an offence under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

Any submission received by Council may be accessed under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. Council may reproduce submissions in Council reports or in Court proceedings.

Feedback may result in changes being made to the draft strategy prior to a report being prepared for Council.

You will be notified again, prior to Council considering the matter, which will include a link to the Council report containing a summary of submissions and how feedback was considered.