Yass Valley Settlement Strategy

The Yass Valley local government area (LGA) contains unique towns and villages with rich local character and a strong sense of place, set within attractive scenic rural landscapes.

Council is now preparing a Settlement Strategy to guide the sustainable long-term growth of the Yass Valley’s towns and villages. The Settlement Strategy will consider the towns of Yass and Murrumbateman, as well as the villages of Binalong, Bookham, Bowning, Gundaroo, Sutton and Wee Jasper.

The Yass Valley Settlement Strategy will seek to strengthen the vitality of the Yass Valley’s settlements; enhancing local character, supporting business, investment and employment needs, and reinforcing a sense of community. The Settlement Strategy will seek to support the delivery of a greater supply of diverse and adaptable housing choices to suit the variety of needs of the Yass Valley community. This may include identifying opportunities for renewal, re-use and in-fill housing. The Settlement Strategy will also identify opportunities to support sustainable employment growth by ensuring an adequate supply of employment lands, reinforcing the role of existing centres, and encouraging investment that strengthens the local economy.

The Strategy will be accompanied by a review of the Yass Valley Water Source Strategy (previously updated in 2022) to unlock developable land in a manner that supports the logical and efficient use of land and resources.

Preparation of the Yass Valley Settlement Strategy has just commenced, and Council will be engaging with the community in August 2026.

It is anticipated that a draft of the Yass Valley Settlement Strategy and Review of the Yass Valley Water Source Strategy will be available for public exhibition in early-2027.

Your Voice Counts!

We want to hear what you value about where you live, and what you would like to see in the future.

There will be multiple opportunities for the community to get involved in the development of the Settlement Strategy, to ensure that it reflects community values, needs and aspirations.

To provide your insights into this work, you can:

1. Complete the community survey at the bottom of this page. Documents can be uploaded as part of the feedback form.

2. Attend one of the following community drop-in sessions:

Tuesday 18 August

5-7pm

Murrumbateman Community Hall

19 East St, Murrumbateman

Wednesday 19 August

5-7pm

Yass Valley Council Chambers

209 Comur St, Yass

Thursday 20 August

5-7pm

Sutton Community Hall

West St, Sutton NSW

For more information, please see the Frequently Asked Questions to the right of this page. The survey will close on Friday 4 September.