Community engagement strategy and community participation plan

Our community engagement strategy and community participation plan outline the legislative requirements, guiding principles, approaches and processes we use to ensure our engagement is clear, accountable, meaningful, inclusive and accessible. It describes the role communities play in our decision-making processes.

Community engagement strategy

• The Local Government Act 1993 requires councils to have a plan for engaging their local community when developing plans, policies and programs.
• Engaging our communities in the governance of their city is a guiding principle in our long term plan Sustainable Sydney 2030–2050 Continuing the Vision.
• Our community engagement strategy is a framework for how we engage communities in the decisions we make at the City of Sydney. This includes the people, organisations and businesses that have a stake in the future of Sydney and are impacted by these decisions.

Community participation plan

• We firmly believe the community has a right to be informed about planning matters that affect them. Wherever possible, we encourage opportunities for meaningful and effective community participation in land use planning.
• Our community participation plan outlines our requirements under planning legislation. It’s designed to make it clearer and easier for you to understand how to participate in planning decisions.
• The chapter ‘Community participation plan for land use planning’ includes information on strategic planning, development assessments and how to engage with us on land use planning matters.
• Appendices C, D and E include details of land use planning notification and submission requirements, a land use planning consultation matrix and a glossary of terms.