Ordinary Meeting

Meeting Date:     Tuesday, 27 January, 2026

Location:            Council Chambers, City Administrative Building, Bridge Road, Nowra

The following information was provided to Councillors in response to questions submitted to the CEO prior to the Council Meeting. The information is published in accordance with  Section 3.32 of the Code of Meeting Practice.

CL26.1: Notice of Motion - Low-Cost Rental Initiative Working Group

Questions: Councillor Casmiri

1. the number of caravan parks and camping grounds operating in the Shoalhaven

2. the total number of sites within those parks

3. the breakdown of the sites into Permanents / Short term sites / camping sites.

4. the number or privately owned cabins and caravans

5. Same as above for SCC owned Holiday Haven parks

Answer: Director – City Development, Emma Struys

1. the number of caravan parks and camping grounds operating in the Shoalhaven = 88 Parks

2. the total number of sites in all those parks (Total) = 11074 Total Sites for all parks

3. the breakdown of the sites into Permanents / Short term sites / camping sites across all parks = Permanents 1672 Sites/ Short term 7472 Sites/ Camping Site 1930.

Council does not hold information regarding the arrangements or agreements directly between caravan park owners and their tenants.

Details relating to Council’s Holiday Haven operations are outlined below for all 12 locations. Please note that Holiday Haven forms part of the City Services portfolio.

CL26.13: Proposed Public Exhibition – Draft Shoalhaven Contributions Plan

Question: Councillor Boyd

On page 16, under 3.3 Calculating the Contribution, the para under the blocked text is repeated.  I suggest the  repeated para beneath Table 5 be deleted.  It is confusing.

Answer: Director – City Development, Emma Struys

Thank you for your comment regarding the draft contributions plan.  The team will review your comment against the draft and make any required administrative changes  prior to finalising the exhibition material for public engagement.

CL26.5: Notice of Motion – Peacocks in St Georges Basin

Question 1: Councillor Tribe

Can you please advise if peacocks are covered under  ‘poultry’ under council’s policy and as such whether breaches can be followed up by staff.  Can I also find out why a notice was previously drafted in this case  but not submitted? Thank you.

Answer 1 Regulation of Peafowl (Peacocks and Peahens): Director – City Development, Emma Struys

Peafowl are not defined as fowl or poultry under the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 and therefore cannot be regulated under Division 2 keeping of poultry. However, if the noise of the peafowl is assessed as offensive noise it can be regulated under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 and Protection of the Environment Operations (Noise Control) Regulation 2017. Noise assessments were undertaken by Authorised Council Officers over three days on 27, 28 and 29 September 2022 resulting in the noise not assessed as offensive.

This legislation is described below:

Keeping of Poultry - Local Government (General) Regulation 2021

The Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (legislation) references two things as part of Division 2: poultry and fowl.

• Fowl is defined in the legislation as being birds of the species Gallus gallus - which is not peafowl.

• Poultry is not defined in the legislation and as such the Macquarie Dictionary is used for this definition. The Macquarie Dictionary definition for poultry is: domestic fowls collectively, as chickens, turkeys, guineafowls, ducks and geese. This definition does not include peafowl.

As such, peafowl (peacocks and peahens) are not regulated under the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 – Part 5 Standards for keeping birds or animals - Division 2 Keeping of Poultry. Therefore Order 18 of the Local Government Act 1993 is not appropriate.

 Offensive Noise – Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 and Protection of the Environment Operations (Noise Control ) Regulation 2017

The definitions within the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 define offensive noise as:

Noise assessments were undertaken by Councils authorised officers in September 2022 resulting in the noise assessed as not offensive.

Question 2: Councillor Tribe

Why was a Notice Order 18 issued in error?

Answer 2: Director – City Development, Emma Struys

Notice Order 18 of the Local Government Act 1993 (reference ON2021/8884) was issued on 23 December 2021 in error. Reasons why this was an error include:

• Peacocks are not species Gallus gallus and therefore are not defined as fowl in Local Government (General) Regulation 2021.
• Peacocks are not defined as poultry in the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021.
• Offensive noise was referenced in the Notice Order 18 incorrectly. Offensive noise provisions are regulated under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (POEO Act) and the Protection of the Environment Operations (Noise Control) Regulation 2017 (Noise Control Regulation). 
• Once the assessment had occurred, no further action was proposed by Council as the noise assessments considered the noise was not offensive.