Public Realm Strategy

The Coffs Harbour Public Realm Strategy was adopted by Council on 10 August 2023. 

The Strategy aims to create a connected network of public open space that is clean, green, and safe, with a goal that everyone in our community will have access to a least one type of public open space within a 4 to 5 minute walk from their home.

The Public Realm is not just reserves and sporting fields - it includes all public spaces, such as: streets, forecourts, squares, bicycle and pedestrian links and waterways.

The Strategy provides guidance for the City, developers and the community on the planning, design and management of the public realm, including:

• Guiding principles to inform projects and works that impact the public realm,
• Standards for the different types of public realm within the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area:
  • Local Parks (including small local parks),
  • District Parks,
  • Regional Parks,
  • Coffs Coast Regional Park,
  • Linear Parks,
  • Natural Areas,
  • Streets,
  • Sports Facilities, and
  • Community Gardens.
• Performance criteria to assist the City in determining levels of service and provision for each public realm type,
• 5 Big Moves to assist the City in meeting the vision of the Strategy:
  1. Establish a Green Grid Framework - to ensure that our public open space is protected and improved in perpetuity.
  2. Establish a Public Realm Tree Delivery Program - to protect trees within our urban environments and reverse the decline in the urban tree canopy.
  3. Support the Preparation of an Active Transport Plan - to ensure that our public realm is connected & to promote active lifestyles.
  4. Support the City's Placemaking Framework - by informing place plans for our community.
  5. Promote Responsible Pet Ownership in the Public Realm - by updating the City's Companion Animal Management Plan.
• Future considerations for the City to address specific issues identified in relation to the public realm,
• Public realm urban design guidelines - to ensure a consistent and legible approach on the design of public spaces,
• Public open space requirements for future urban release areas,
• Methodology to guide the City in its classification of public land, and
• Guidance for the development of plans of management by the City.