The opportunity for greater local government control of Crown Land has been made possible via the Crown Land Management [CLM] Act of 2016.

Under the CLM Act, councils will no longer have to seek consent from the Minister for Lands and Forestry for dealings on Crown Land. Local Government will be exempt from reporting requirements, and will be able to manage Crown Lands in the same way that any council land is managed.

All Crown Land transferred to councils will be classified as community land. Land classified as such reflects the importance of the land to the community because of its use or special features. Generally it is intended for public access or use.

An obligation councils have under the act is to prepare plans of management for any Crown reserves they manage as community land. The requirement to have plans of management for any newly acquired parcels of Crown Land will be phased in over the next three years.

The provisions of the Act allow for councils to seek ministerial approval for reclassification of Crown Land to operational land. Operational land comprises land that serves a commercial or operational function (like a works depot or carpark) or land that has been retained for commercial or strategic reasons. The range of controls that apply to community land do not apply to the use and management of operational land.

For this new piece of local government legislation to be clearly understood and accepted, there needs to be clear messages from our council about which parcels of land council is negotiating with the NSW State Government to acquire, how the plans of management are to be developed, and the opportunities for the community to be involved in both site selection and the development of plans of management.

We need a clear answer to Orange councillor Kevin Duffy's question, which was whether council could sell off lots once it had control of them.