Local Housing Strategy for Bogan Shire Council
Client: Bogan Shire Council
Sector: Local Government
Timeframe: 20-year strategic horizon
In 2024 Bogan Shire Council engaged Blue Sky Planning & Environment to prepare a comprehensive Local Housing Strategy (LHS) to guide residential growth and change across the Shire over the next 20 years. The overarching objective was to establish an evidence-based strategic framework that responds to local housing needs while aligning with broader planning policy at the federal, state, regional and local levels.
As a rural local government area facing evolving demographic trends, housing affordability pressures and infrastructure constraints, Council recognised the importance of a robust strategy to proactively manage housing outcomes and support long-term community resilience.
Project Overview
The project involved the preparation of a Shire-wide Local Housing Strategy that linked Council’s housing vision with relevant strategic planning frameworks and provided clear, practical recommendations to support future residential development.
Key elements of the project included:
Analysis of demographic trends using the most recent census data and the State’s housing projections data
Consideration of infrastructure constraints for expansion of urban areas
A flood study and a biodiversity study to identify key land use constraints
Broad and targeted community engagement and workshops
Identification of housing supply gaps and areas with development capacity
Identification of planning, policy and land use mechanisms to facilitate housing delivery
Providing recommendations to inform future amendments to the Bogan Local Environmental Plan 2011 and the Bogan Shire Development Control Plan 2012
The LHS was designed as a practical, action-focused document that would not sit on the shelf. Instead, it provides Council with an integrated picture of what the current housing situation is in Bogan Shire, what the future should look like for housing and what the road map is for getting there.
Council approached Blue Sky due to our experience and reputation for delivering sound, practical land use planning outcomes in regional and rural contexts. Our ability to balance strategic policy requirements with on-the-ground delivery considerations was central to the project’s success.
Project Challenges
A key challenge in preparing the Local Housing Strategy was recognising that no single organisation can resolve the complexity of local housing issues in isolation. Housing supply, affordability and diversity are influenced by a wide range of factors, including planning controls, infrastructure capacity, market conditions, land availability and social policy settings.
In this context, the role of Council is both strategic and collaborative. While Council does not directly control all aspects of housing delivery, it can:
Take a leadership role in advocacy
Work in partnership with key stakeholders
Ensure planning controls support, rather than inhibit, appropriate housing outcomes
The Strategy therefore needed to strike a careful balance: setting out clear, achievable actions within Council’s control, while also identifying opportunities for collaboration, advocacy and longer-term structural change.
Outcomes and Results
Together with Bogan Shire Council, Blue Sky delivered a Local Housing Strategy that provides a strong, evidence-based foundation for future housing outcomes across the Shire. Some of the key outcomes of the Strategy include:
Mechanisms for increasing housing diversity for universal, social, and community housing opportunities including a broader mix of housing types
Identification of natural hazards and land use constraints, supporting updates to LEP and DCP flood planning controls to better manage risk while enabling development
Identification of local planning provisions to support temporary worker accommodation
Recommendations to remove the Urban Release Area (URA) layer on residentially zoned land in the southern part of Nyngan, reducing unnecessary planning constraints
A community education campaign to encourage uptake of dual occupancies and secondary dwellings and improve the financial feasibility of housing development
Planning for the extension of essential services to support future residential growth
Collectively, these actions provide Council with a practical and coordinated framework to address housing needs, reduce barriers to development, and support diverse and inclusive housing outcomes over the long term.
Looking Ahead
The Local Housing Strategy positions Bogan Shire Council to take a proactive, informed approach to residential growth and change. By linking strategic vision with clear planning actions, the Strategy ensures that future amendments to planning controls are grounded in evidence, aligned with policy, and responsive to community needs.
This project demonstrates the value of strategic planning that is both aspirational and achievable. By working collaboratively with Council and stakeholders, we were able to deliver a Strategy that not only sets direction but provides a clear roadmap for implementation.
At Blue Sky, we’re proud to support rural and regional councils like Bogan Shire in shaping sustainable, resilient and liveable communities for the future.
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