Cr Andrew Guile successfully brought a motion to council’s ordinary meeting on Tuesday to prioritise the North Moss Vale Road urban release area.

He said landowners were working together to ensure affordability and environmental sustainability principles featured in this release.

“Our City is on the cusp of growth like we have never before experienced.  Even prior to the announcement of funding for completion of the Princes Highway upgrade, we are seeing the signs of growth in the demand for property in our area,” he said.

His motion won unanimous support from fellow councillors.

Cr Guile said other urban release areas in the Nowra Bomaderry Structure Plan had constraints such as traffic and flora and fauna which made Moss Vale Road North more appealing.

“There is a vision amongst some of the Moss Vale Road North landowners to create a ‘Green Star’ development within the local area.”  

The Green Star community principles in the Development Control Plan covered diversity of housing types, the design and character of the overall development and opportunities for sustainable employment, community engagement and environmental sustainability.

According to Cr Guile, this will benefit first homebuyers and downsizers.

“The community benefit will be a much needed stimulus to the local economy. 

“Council will benefit from the innovation in planning and the community will benefit from working with the landowners who are advocating a fresh approach to urban release not yet seen in the Shoalhaven,” he said.

Director of Integrity real estate agency Peter Russell welcomed the news.

“This is fantastic as it will hopefully address land affordability and supply or lack thereof residential building blocks in the future,” he said.

“Unfortunately, with no development application on the land as yet, it is still some years off being able to be built on.” 

He said Shoalhaven City Council needed to do everything in its power to fast track any application and work with the community and the developers to have this land available.

“The northern Shoalhaven has had a lack of supply of residential land issue for some time and this is what has created the huge increase in prices that we have seen recently,” he said.