Council is undertaking a review of its 637 open space and community facilities across the city to provide recommendations for how they will be managed into the future.
Aquatic centres, parks, sportsgrounds, playgrounds, libraries and halls are among the Council-owned and managed facilities that will be examined.
The Community Infrastructure Strategic Plan (CISP) review aims to establish a 30-year vision for the buildings and open spaces to help guide Council's short, medium and long-term planning and investment.
"This will be a robust review, drawing on a range of data sources, that aims to ensure we're providing facilities that meet the current and future demands of our growing and changing city," said acting Director City Lifestyles, Kevin Norwood.
"I strongly encourage everyone to keep an eye out for our invitations to provide feedback and have their say about the open spaces and community facilities that are important to them.
"Community feedback will be crucial in developing this strategic plan and informing Council's vision for how we manage community facilities into the future," Mr Norwood said.
To help inform the CISP, Council has completed a comprehensive audit of its community infrastructure, which documents 637 facilities spread across 50 towns and villages in the Shoalhaven.
Council will now undertake a needs analysis which will assess current and future demand for open space and community facilities and will draw on the findings of several site-specific audits, community feedback, and other data.
In May this year, the community was invited to provide feedback on the condition, management and use of 25 sample sites, including Lions Park at Burrill Lake, Francis Ryan Reserve at Sanctuary Point, the Nowra Showground and Moona Moona Creek Reserve.
Council received more than one thousand responses to the engagement. The survey was completed by a broad cross-section of the community and a report detailing the audit's findings was published on Council's website in September.
The community will be invited to provide feedback on another 25 sample sites in January 2025, before the draft needs analysis is placed on public exhibition in mid-2025.
The CISP Review is an action outlined in Council's Development Program and Operational Plan 2023/24 (DPOP). The CISP was last reviewed in 2017 and once complete, the new document will be reviewed every five years.
