During 2022, PolisPlan worked with staff at Bellingen Council to establish a potential town planning framework for regenerative villages generally, and specifically to enable the development of a pilot project. The framework included:

• Main report justifying and outlining the development strategy including proposed definitions for ‘regenerative village’ and ‘circular economy’

• Enabling provisions (draft Local Environmental clause)

• Development controls (draft chapter for inclusion in the Development Control Plan)

• Infrastructure planning (planning agreements policy)

• Locality planning process for determining appropriate locations for regenerative villages, identifying preferred precincts. Note that identification of a site is not to be construed as sufficient proof, in itself, of a site’s suitability for a regenerative village pilot project. Similarly, the fact that a property is not identified by these investigations should not necessarily be construed as proof that it would not be suitable for such a project.

• Implications for other departments (eg. ordinary rates, water and waste levies, public works)

The proposed framework was reported to Council on 23 November 2022 and unanimously supported by the elected Council. Link to the Bellingen Council website for the full agenda and minutes here.

Download the minutes of the Council meeting with Council resolutions relating to this matter here.