The Gully Aboriginal Place - Draft Plan of Management (PoM)

In partnership with The Gully Traditional Owners Inc. Council is updating the Plan of Management for the Gully Aboriginal Place (previously Upper Kedumba River Valley PoM) following extensive engagement with members of The Gully Aboriginal Community and the broader community.

The Exhibition period for the Draft Plan of Management has now closed.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to make a submission. All submissions will be analysed and carefully considered as part of the consultation process. Recommended amendments to the Draft Plan of Management will be conveyed to the Councillors when the Final Plan of Management is prepared for adoption. This is currently anticipated to be at the 26 October 2021 Council meeting.

Public Hearing

A Public Hearing for the proposed recategorisation of community land, as required under the Local Government Act 1993 and Crown Land Management Act 2016 was held on Saturday 7 August, 2021 via Zoom and was conducted by an independent planning consultant.

For anyone who was unable to participate in the online public hearing, they were able to comment on proposed land recategorisation by making a written submission or contacting Council. This closed on Sunday 22 August 2021.

Recent Feedback

Council consulted extensively in preparation of the Draft Plan of Management (POM), including with Gully families, at NAIDOC week, and with the broader community through an online survey over a period of four months.

The public exhibition of the Draft POM is an important part of community consultation and was open for a period of 60 days, longer than is required (42 days) under the legislation (Local Government Act and Crown Lands Management Act 2016). The public exhibition period was advertised via media and advertising and closed on 26 July 2021.

There have been concerns raised in the community recently about the public exhibition period and what was being proposed.

There are no proposals to sell off, or develop, any bushland or public land within the Gully for private housing. The Gully is comprised of Council Community land and Crown land classified as Public recreation reserve, as well as a number of Council and Crown road reserve.

In regards to concerns focused on the parcels of 38-46 Gates Avenue:

• The 5 parcels of land of 38-46 Gates Avenue are not within the Gully Aboriginal Place area as Gazetted in 2002. The Gully Draft PoM has been updated to include all and only land within the Gully AP area. Hence these parcels were not included in the revised PoM.
• The Gully Draft PoM does not propose any change to the classification of Council community land within the Gully AP, (or for 38-46 Gates Avenue). Changes from Community land to Operational Land is a separate process and would require revision of the Local Environmental Plan (LEP).
• There are no proposed changes to the land classification, or land categories of the land parcels of 38-46 Gates Avenue. They remain classified at Council Community (13/1-4/L1/2059) and Operational land (13/5/L1/2059) and remain categorised Natural Area Bushland.

What's Next?

A summary of submissions, along with staff recommendations will be presented to Council for adoption. Any personal information provided will be treated in accordance with Councils Privacy Management Plan. Specifically this will include the removal of any personal information that will be made public.