Council Meeting outcome

14 May 2024

Project Update - May 2024

We’re proposing land categories for 35 Crown reserves (at 33 location) as part of an obligation under the Crown Land Management (CLM) Act 2016. The CLM Act legislates that we are required to manage Crown land in the same manner as Community land, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993.

This is an initial land categorisation process and only relates to current/existing use. It does not propose any change of use for the subject Crown reserves or indicate desired future use.

We asked for your feedback on the proposed land categories between 24 August 2020 and 11 October 2020 and received 70 submissions. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.

At the Council meeting on 14 May, 2024, Council adopted the assigned land categories.

We will now notify the Minister administering the Crown Land Management Act 2016 of the categories which have been assigned to the land reserves.

Find out more

The following is a list of the 35 affected Crown reserves (33 locations), by suburb:

Allambie Heights

1. Manly Warringah War Memorial State Park including Aquatic Reserve

2. Maroa Reserve

Balgowlah

3. Balgowlah Golf Course and Balgowlah Park

Balgowlah Heights

4. Forty Baskets

5. Nolan Place Reserve

6. Tania Park

Beacon Hill

7. Beacon Hill Oval

8. Governor Phillip Lookout

Belrose

9. Waldon Oval

10. Wearden Road Reserve

Coasters Retreat

11. Bonnie Doon Wharf (surrounds)

Church Point

12. Church Point Reserve (part)

Clontarf

13. Clontarf Reserve

Collaroy

14. Collaroy Beach

15. Griffith Park

Cromer

16. St Matthews Farm

Cromer/Narraweena

17. Lillihina and Nalya Reserves

Duffys Forest

18. Rhoker Reserve

Freshwater

19. McKillop Park

Ingleside

20. 18 Walter Road

Manly/Fairlight

21. Manly Wharf to North Harbour Reserve, including West Esplanade

Manly

22. Manly Wharf to Skiff Club, including East Esplanade

23. Queenscliff to Manly Beach Foreshore

24. Shelly Beach Reserve

Mona Vale

25. Mona Vale Golf Course and beach

North Narrabeen

26. Bilarong Reserve (part)

27. Katoa Reserve

Palm Beach

28. Governor Phillip Park x 3 reserves

29. Pittwater Park

30. Sunrise Reserve (part)

Queenscliff

31. Aitken Reserve (part)

Seaforth

32. Bantry Reserve

33. Seaforth Oval


This initial categorisation process is exclusive to Crown land for which Council is Crown land manager. The 35 reserves (33 locations) are all Crown land managed by Council.

In NSW, Crown land is administered by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in accordance with the Crown Land Management (CLM) Act 2016, which came into effect on 1 July 2018. Following an extensive review of how Crown land is managed, the CLM Act was passed in order to create a more simplified management structure.

The CLM Act requires Crown reserves managed by Council to be managed in line with the Local Government Act (LG) Act 1993 in the same manner as Council Community land. The transition requires the affected Crown reserves to be managed via a plan of management (PoM). The first step is to assign the appropriate land categories.

The transition to managing Crown reserves in accordance with the LG Act is to occur by 30 June 2021.

On 23 June 2020 Council resolved to undertake community consultation on the proposed land categories. Comments will be reported back to Council with a recommendation, along with a summary of community feedback. The Minister will be notified of Council’s preferred categories and, following confirmation from the Minister, PoMs can be prepared.

The Local Government Act 1993 provides descriptions for five different land categories are:

  1. Natural Area
  2. Park
  3. Sportsground
  4. General Community Use
  5. Area of Cultural Significance

Proposed land categories should consider the following:

  • They represent current/existing use.
  • Multiple categories are permitted where they best represent current/existing use.
  • They cannot represent desired future use (this can be considered later when a PoM is developed).
  • They relate to the reserve purpose.
  • They relate most closely to the Local Government Act category objectives.
  • They consider the characteristics of the land.
  • The category of ‘Area of Cultural Significance’ can be overlayed over another category.

Where possible, land categories are proposed to be consistent across the Northern Beaches. However, where categories already exist within a PoM then no change to the PoM categories are proposed at this stage. Any inconsistencies can be addressed when the affected PoM are updated in the future.

Examples of consistent land categories for future land categorisations include but are not limited to:

Land use

Proposed category

Golf Course

Sportsground

Sports buildings

Sportsground

Car park and roads

The same as the adjoining land that the car park or road facilitates access to e.g. Sportsground, Park or General Community Use

Surf Life Saving Club

General Community Use

Bushland

Natural Area

Foreshore

Natural Area

Playgrounds

Park

Once this initial categorisation process is complete, future changes to categories can occur when a Plan of Management is being developed or updated. This would involve extensive community consultation, including a Public Hearing.

Many of these 35 Crown reserves have previously been included within a Plan of Management and several have already been categorised. In these cases, the existing land categories are recommended in our proposal.

All existing Northern Beaches Council Plans of Management can be viewed here.