Draft Minutes for the Forum Meeting

Thursday 19 March 2026 7:30pm at the Uniting Church Hall

Present: 60 people attended the meeting.

Welcome and Introduction: Ian Hendry (Chair)

Minutes of Meeting held on 4 December 2025:  Approved

Mayor’s Update: The Mayor provided information on several areas and answered a variety of questions –

  • There have been issues with other CCBs that brought about the need for changes to the CCB engagement model. The proposed changes are now on public exhibition.
  • The CEO and staff have engaged in extensive detailed reviews of expenditure prior to preparation of the budget for 2026/27. A budget workshop will be held with Councillors and Finance Committee members attending.
  • The CEO is spending one day a week working with the outdoor crews, understanding the work they undertake, the issues they deal with and listening to their ideas for improving performance.
  • The State Government has prepared concept plans for a major redevelopment of the areas on both sides of the southern end of the Nowra bridge.

Development and heritage changes for Berry: The Princess Street Heritage Conservation Area (HCA):

  • Will protect overall character without overly restricting future development
  • Will NOT stymie development or “museumify” Berry
  • Development is permitted with Council consent
  • Complying development is not allowable

The Development Control Plan Chapter N2 Town of Berry:

  • Addresses the community priorities/issues identified during the Engagement Process
  • Strengthens local character and heritage considerations and protections
  • Contains guidelines relating to built form, scale, site coverage, streetscape, landscaping
  • Enables new housing opportunities that complement existing character.

 

The Berry Hotel DA will be lodged shortly: Parking data recently provided by Feros:

  • The redeveloped Pub will provide 290 seats for a target of 354 patrons (maximum now 145)
  • The number of parking spaces for Pub patrons will be increased from 6 to 22.
  • Feros surveys over last two years show 26% of Pub patrons require a parking space.

Based on this data:

  • 290 patrons would require 75 parking spaces, resulting in a shortfall of 53 spaces
  • 354 patrons would require 92 parking spaces, resulting in a shortfall of 70 spaces

 

Future CCB engagement framework: The CEO was concerned about legal ambiguity and governance risks associated with Council’s perceived liability for the conduct of CCBs. He was also dealing with new Work Health & Safety laws requiring safe environments for councillors.

Council is now seeking community feedback on the ACF model via a brief online survey on its Get Involved webpage. Could you please complete the survey and support the ACF model. 

Service Station update: Viva Energy, which owns the block of land, has advised that it will be another one to two years before it is ready to consider how it will be used.
 

Impacts of DA Characterisation: On 10 March, Council approved DA26/1001, a proposed ‘dwelling’ on a 1Ha lot on the corner of Woodhill Mtn Rd and Bong Bong Rd.

The ‘dwelling’ consists of two separate buildings, the horizontal one at the bottom of the image, containing 8 bedrooms (each with an ensuite) with a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 250sqm, and half of the other building labelled Proposed Dwelling, containing a media room and other rooms with a GFA of only 160sqm. There are also other resort-style facilities including a swimming pool, spa, tennis court, gym, outdoor kitchen & firepit.

The proposed development closely resembles a small motel/resort, which is one of only three specific land uses prohibited in the SLEP (the others are hotels and serviced apartments).

The DA was lodged in January, the same time DA26/1007 was lodged for a ‘dwelling’ in Barnett Street, Vincentia containing 13 bedrooms. In that case, staff invited the applicant to withdraw the DA because it “should properly be characterised as a boarding house not a residential dwelling”.

The Forum Committee emailed Council’s Manager of Development Services to express concerns about the motel-style configuration of the development and the precedent created for all RU1 zones in the Shoalhaven. 

General Business: Next Forum meeting was confirmed as 16 July 2026.

Meeting closed: 8:50pm