Council considered the Georges River Employment Lands Study at its meeting on 7 August 2017.

The Stage 1 – Background Report provides information on Georges River’s employment lands, including areas zoned as business and industrial.

The Stage 2 – Industrial and Commercial Lands Strategy assesses and provides recommendations on the future use of lands including:

• IN2 – Light Industrial zoned land across the Georges River local government area (LGA); and
• B1 – Neighbourhood Centre and B2 – Local Centre zoned land in the Peakhurst, Mortdale and Hurstville Wards (former Hurstville Council LGA).

The Study excludes the B3 - Commercial Core and B4 - Mixed Use zoned lands in the Hurstville Ward, known as the Hurstville City Centre. Refer to the Hurstville City Centre Urban Design Strategy for updates on the planning controls in the City Centre.

The Study also excludes the B1 – Neighbourhood Centre and B2 – Local Centre zoned land within the Blakehurst and Kogarah Bay Wards (former Kogarah City Council LGA). Refer to the Kogarah Employment Lands and Economic Development Strategy.
 

IN2 - Light Industrial zoned lands

Council engaged SGS Economics and Planning (SGS) to undertake a peer review of the method, criteria and assessment of each the industrial areas, including the Employment Lands Study.

The SGS peer review recommended that Council:

• Strengthen its industrial lands assessment framework to better capture the importance of local population serving industrial areas; and
• Set guidelines for assessing planning proposals to rezone industrial lands so that there is a consistent process.

Following SGS' recommendations, Council engaged SGS to develop the Georges River Industrial Land Review. This was adopted by Council on 17 December 2018.
 

B1 - Neighbourhood Centre and B2 - Local Centre zoned lands

Council also agreed that a report on the future of the B1 - Neighbourhood Centre and B2 - Local Centre zones be presented to Council once completed.

Council has begun work on the Commercial Centres Strategy. This Strategy will look at the role of each of the centres in our LGA, and review and recommend planning controls.