In the wake of last week’s abandonment of the Yerriyong motorsports it makes sense to focus on land releases that are likely to succeed. The last thing council or the community wants is a land release that falls foul of the same environmental legislation that helped stymie the motorsports complex.

In this regard, the Moss Vale Road North land release area is well placed to succeed. Most of it is established farmland, around which environmentally significant land has already been identified and zoned accordingly.

There are unlikely to be the sorts of constraints that have dogged other land release areas, including the once-vaunted Mundamia, which is bushland. The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage has already identified at risk species in the area, making it much less appealing to developers.

Pushing Mundamia down the list of priorities for land release while elevating Moss Vale Road North is good planning.

There are other aspects to the land release that are also appealing.

The proposal has made provision for a diversity of housing types, some of which should be priced to suit first homebuyers.

It also includes shops, businesses and recreational amenities. These are essential if communities are to thrive. This so-called Green Star principle of planning will address issues that have arisen in other earlier subdivisions in the Shoalhaven.

Subdivisions without local shops, playgrounds and parkland tend to be soulless and isolating simply because there is little scope for neighbours to get to know each other. A local corner store, school and playground can be the glue that brings people together.

They can turn a suburb into a village.

Now council has established Moss Vale North as the next cab off the rank, it is important it rolls up its sleeves and gets on with what will be a huge job.

A raft of infrastructure issues will have to be addressed, including road access, sewerage and power. With the shortage of land for residential development, and the rapid progress of the highway upgrade that will bring jobs and people to the region, there is not a moment to lose.