Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan

Our rural lands contain a diverse range of enterprises and opportunities that support our rural lifestyle and livelihoods. Our aim is to diversify rural areas by managing how rural land is used and developed to deliver balanced outcomes for our community.

Key issues that will be considered in the Rural Lands Strategy include:

• Rural Enterprises and Diversification – emphasise flexibility for farming families to supplement income through agritourism and other farm-based employment.
• Zoning Strategy – consider the need to diversify our rural land use zones, including how we zone land instead of applying a current ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
•  Minimum Lot Sizes – apply place-based methodology for minimum lot size controls across rural zones.
•  Dwelling Entitlements Review – review rules for allowing dwellings on rural land below the minimum lot size threshold.
•  Simplify Development Requirements – facilitate the construction of appropriate rural and farming structures (such as sheds) with minimal regulation.
•  Rural Lifestyle and Housing Choices – balance opportunities for more rural housing with a sustainable rural future.

Our housing needs are as diverse as the people who make up Dungog Shire and will continue to change into the future. Our aim is to offer a broad range of housing options to cater for our diverse needs - families, our ageing population, single person households and everyone in between, while simultaneously delivering housing that is affordable.

Key issues that will be considered in the Local Housing Strategy include:

• Neighbourhood Character- identify and map character types to ensure housing growth is balanced with respecting neighbourhood character.
•  Residential Growth Framework – define and map areas of minimal, incremental, and moderate change.
•  Activation of Villages- high level structure plans for Paterson, Vacy and Gresford, along with providing flexibility for retailing or exhibiting local produce, art, craft and tourism
•  Multi-Generational and Downsizing Housing – streamline secondary dwellings, integrated housing and residential aged care facilities, along with family-orientated planning principles for growth areas.
•  Form-Based Planning Standards - develop design-led planning controls and development standards for diverse housing typologies.
•  Design advice – guidance, simple solutions and examples for building and renovating housing based on designs to reduce ongoing household costs.

Our aims is to outline what infrastructure is needed to facilitate and enable our future population growth.

Key issues that will be considered in the Infrastructure Capacity and Prioritisation Plan include:

• Review and Update our requirements for open space and recreation facilities – review Council’s Open Space and Recreation Plan (2022) in line with updated population projections to 2041.
• Analyse Hunter Service Plans – assess sewer and water service planning in alignment with planning assumptions and compliance with sewage requirements.
•  Advocacy for health, schools and emergency services – high level benchmarking to determine future demand and gaps for State infrastructure.
•  Community Facilities Benchmarking – determine expectations and comparable benchmarks for libraries and community facilities to meet future population growth.
•  Road maintenance and upgrades – analyse potential demand for road upgrades from development and a decision support framework for delivery and maintenance works.
•  Funding Options – recommend funding methods for future infrastructure, including NSW and Commonwealth funding and development contributions.
•  Delivery Plan – prioritise and map a schedule of works with high level costs and service catchments.

An updated planning statement will set our vision to 2041 and our overarching growth management approach across Dungog Shire. Our aim is to set out clear planning priorities and actions needed to turn our vision into reality through our planning controls and development standards. 

Key issues that will be considered in the Local Strategic Planning Statement include:

• Demographic & Economic Trends – population growth, employment shifts, housing demand across Dungog Shire.
• Integrating Strategies – incorporating the key objectives and moves of the Rural Lands Strategy, Local Housing Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity and Prioritisation Plan, Dungog and Clarence Town Structure Plans into the LSPS.
• Planning Principles – set the strategic outcomes for biodiversity, sustainable buildings, natural hazards, resilience, water quality.
• Tourism, Retail and Events – promote sustainable, rural and cultural heritage tourism opportunities and greater retail choices and flexibility for events.
• Employment & Business Zones – identify employment land supply gaps, creative and local manufacturing industries, business growth and opportunities from the renewable energy zone.

Dungog is the primary urban centre of our shire. Our aim is to ensure there are opportunities for growing the town centre, increasing business opportunities and provide for new development whilst ensuring that local environmental values, biodiversity,  landscape, agricultural land and rural character are protected and maintained.

Key issues that will be considered in the Dungog Strategic Centre Structure Plan include:

• Master-planning Key Moves – outline the key strategic moves across Dowling Street, a sports and creative precinct, new communities at Tabbill Creek, Dungog Common and Melbee affordable housing.
• Housing & Growth – align with the local housing strategy to guide population growth and housing delivery.
• Character & Heritage – define character areas, objectives, and heritage-sensitive planning and adaptive re-use.
• Built Form Controls – establish height, active street frontages, and other building design standards for the town centre.
• Movement and access – set walking and cycling priorities to connective key activity centres
• Open Space and Greening – focus on green grid approach to integrating public open space and conservation areas with leafy, green and water sensitive streets.

Provides a comprehensive synthesis of all strategies, mapping the Shire's growth vision to 2041. There is a lot happening across the different plans and strategies. The executive summary will help bring it all together in an easy to single reference for the vision to 2041 and how we will get there.

My Shire, My Future

Community Photography – All Ages Welcome
�� Entries open: 28 July 2025 | Close: 5 September 2025

About the photo series

Dungog Shire is growing, and we want to know your thoughts on what makes your place special, what you love now and what you imagine for the future.

This series is part of the Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan. Your photo can help shape the story of how we grow, celebrating what we value and imagining what comes next.

Your photo could show a loved local spot, a clever idea, or something you think should change. Just make sure it fits one of the four categories.

1. Where We Live – Housing, Home & Belonging
What does "home" look like to you in Dungog Shire? It might be a weatherboard cottage, a new build on the edge of town, or the place where your neighbours stop for a chat. Show us your favourite street, backyard, veranda, view or what you think future housing could look like.

�� Think: housing diversity, affordability, connection to place, growing neighbourhoods.

2. Work, Create, Grow – Local Jobs & Business Life
Dungog Shire is full of makers, growers, builders and small businesses doing things their way. From dairies to shopfronts, paddocks to pottery studios - capture what local work means today, and how it could evolve.

�� Think: local employment, main street trade, rural enterprise, creative industries

3. Getting Around – Everyday Movement & Infrastructure
How do people move through your area? Your photo could show a quiet country road, a busy footpath, a bridge you cross, or an idea for better access. Snap a school run, a bike ride, a muddy ute track - whatever gets you from A to B.

�� Think: transport, access, connectivity, infrastructure challenges or solutions.

4. Nature + Neighbourhood – Environment, Heritage & Community Life
What is special about your local area? It could be an ancient tree, a community garden, the river after rain, or a spot where people come together. This category is all about how we care for and connect with the land, and what makes Dungog Shire feel like home.

�� Think: open space, nature, culture, history, identity, community resilience.

Upload your photo using the Google Form below: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPGPvkFpIralD4QKgewZfY0918LHTGcSsMlRPWghGpRIggbw/viewform?usp=dialog

Dungog Town is growing—let’s shape that growth together.

Council is preparing a Structure Plan to help guide how and where our town centre develops over the next 20–50 years. This is part of the broader Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan for Dungog Shire.We’re inviting you to walk and workshop with us. Join the project team for a guided walking tour of Dungog, through streets and parks followed by a community design session (also known as a charette).

Together, we’ll: Shape a future character statement for Dungog Town

Workshop key ideas and design moves to guide how Dungog can grow in a way that reflects community values

Saturday 16 August, 9am–12pm at the Doug Walters Pavilion

Sunday 14 September, 2pm–5pm at the Doug Walters Pavilion

Children are welcome, we will have activity packs available to help keep little ones engaged while you participate.

Choose a date that suits you and register via the link below.

This is your chance to help shape the next chapter of Dungog. Let’s plan for growth that protects what we love while making room for the future.

Register your interest to attend one of the sessions: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/dungog-structure-plan-workshop-tickets-1502168599719?aff=oddtdtcreator

Help shape the future of Dungog Shire

Dungog Shire is growing, and Council wants to make sure we do it right. We are creating a long-term Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan that will help guide how we grow and protect the things we love about our towns and villages while planning for the homes, rural industries, roads and services our communities need.

One of the best ways to get involved is by joining a community focus group. These interactive workshop sessions are your opportunity to reflect on what makes your area great, share local knowledge, and talk about the challenges and changes you are seeing. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, transport, or rural lands, your insights will help shape a plan that reflects our local needs and priorities.

Focus groups will be held across the Shire in Dungog, Paterson, Vacy, Gresford and Clarence Town. Each session will run for around 2 hours and will be facilitated by Mecone Planning, in collaboration with Dungog Shire Council:

• Gresford session

Sunday 17 August

10.00am - 12.00pm

Gresford School of Arts Hall

Register your interest: Dungog Shire Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan - Gresford Focus Group Tickets, Sun, Aug 17, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite

Help shape the future of Dungog Shire

Dungog Shire is growing, and Council wants to make sure we do it right. We are creating a long-term Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan that will help guide how we grow and protect the things we love about our towns and villages while planning for the homes, rural industries, roads and services our communities need.

One of the best ways to get involved is by joining a community focus group. These interactive workshop sessions are your opportunity to reflect on what makes your area great, share local knowledge, and talk about the challenges and changes you are seeing. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, transport, or rural lands, your insights will help shape a plan that reflects our local needs and priorities.

Focus groups will be held across the Shire in Dungog, Paterson and Vacy. Each session will run for around 2 hours and will be facilitated by Mecone Planning, in collaboration with Dungog Shire Council:

• Dungog session

Thursday 4 September

4:30pm- 6:30pm

Doug Walters Pavilion

Register your interest: Dungog Shire Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan - Dungog Focus Group Tickets, Thu, Sep 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM | Eventbrite

Help shape the future of Dungog Shire

Dungog Shire is growing, and Council wants to make sure we do it right. We are creating a long-term Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan that will help guide how we grow and protect the things we love about our towns and villages while planning for the homes, rural industries, roads and services our communities need.

One of the best ways to get involved is by joining a community focus group. These interactive workshop sessions are your opportunity to reflect on what makes your area great, share local knowledge, and talk about the challenges and changes you are seeing. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, transport, or rural lands, your insights will help shape a plan that reflects our local needs and priorities.

Focus groups will be held across the Shire in Dungog, Paterson and Vacy. Each session will run for around 2 hours and will be facilitated by Mecone Planning, in collaboration with Dungog Shire Council:

• Vacy session

Saturday 6 September

10.30am - 12.30pm

Vacy School of Arts Hall

Register your interest: Dungog Shire Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan - Vacy Focus Group Tickets, Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM | Eventbrite

Help shape the future of Dungog Shire

Dungog Shire is growing, and Council wants to make sure we do it right. We are creating a long-term Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan that will help guide how we grow and protect the things we love about our towns and villages while planning for the homes, rural industries, roads and services our communities need.

One of the best ways to get involved is by joining a community focus group. These interactive workshop sessions are your opportunity to reflect on what makes your area great, share local knowledge, and talk about the challenges and changes you are seeing. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, transport, or rural lands, your insights will help shape a plan that reflects our local needs and priorities.

Focus groups will be held across the Shire in Dungog, Paterson and Vacy. Each session will run for around 2 hours and will be facilitated by Mecone Planning, in collaboration with Dungog Shire Council:

• Paterson session

Saturday 6 September

3pm-5pm

Paterson School of Arts Hall

Register your interest: Dungog Shire Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan - Paterson Focus Group Tickets, Sat, Sep 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM | Eventbrite

Help shape the future of Dungog Shire

Dungog Shire is growing, and Council wants to make sure we do it right. We are creating a long-term Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan that will help guide how we grow and protect the things we love about our towns and villages while planning for the homes, rural industries, roads and services our communities need.

One of the best ways to get involved is by joining a community focus group. These interactive workshop sessions are your opportunity to reflect on what makes your area great, share local knowledge, and talk about the challenges and changes you are seeing. Whether it’s housing, infrastructure, transport, or rural lands, your insights will help shape a plan that reflects our local needs and priorities.

Focus groups will be held across the Shire in Dungog, Paterson, Vacy, Gresford and Clarence Town. Each session will run for around 2 hours and will be facilitated by Mecone Planning, in collaboration with Dungog Shire Council:

• Clarence Town session

Sunday 14 September

8.30am - 10.30am

Clarence Town School of Arts Hall

Register your interest: Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan - Clarence Town Focus Group Tickets, Sun, Sep 14, 2025 at 8:30 AM | Eventbrite