Campbelltown Urban Character Survey
A difficult challenge for all inner and middle-ring councils is to strike the right balance between encouraging development that is sympathetic to the existing character and meeting housing demand by establishing a new character through increasing densities.
This tension is particularly acute in the City of Campbelltown which has a single Residential Zone. Areas within the city have different characters so there is a need to recognise these areas and ensure that new development is sympathetic to them. At the same time, it is important that Council provides guidance about desired character and identifies areas where increases in residential density may or may not be appropriate. This process is an important part of Council's work to respond to the residential development pressures being experienced across the broader metropolitan area.
One option in managing these pressures is to update the Desired Character Statements in Development Plans. Desired Character Statements articulate a vision for the desired character of an area and provide descriptive material to guide future development.
URPS was engaged by the City of Campbelltown to undertake the Strategic Directions Urban Character Study to assist it to review and update its Desired Character Statements. The study provided a strategic framework for future residential development throughout the Council area and informed the Statement of Intent for the Council's Residential DPA.
In this way, URPS has enabled Council to respond to anticipated housing needs and facilitate quality residential development, while minimising the risk of losing those character elements (built and landscape) that contribute to a sense of community and local identity.