Circular Head Council engaged ERA to prepare a settlement strategy for planning and managing the sustainable growth of the Circular Head municipality over the next 20 years. The strategy considers population trends, community needs, the local planning context, economic growth, development trends (including emerging industries), and land use demand and supply. It provides a framework for identifying preferred locations for future major developments, expansion of existing urban areas, requirements for the use of planning instruments, and key economic opportunities.

To begin the project the ERA team undertook a site immersion, which included engagement activities such as drop-in sessions, surveys, one-on-one meetings and briefings with Council staff. This provided the team with a clear indication of areas of interest, the broader needs of the community, and emerging themes that required consideration in the drafting of the settlement strategy. At the completion of this engagement process, a consultation report was drafted for consideration of Council, and to incorporate within the next stage of works.

Finally, two documents were prepared for the project: a supporting report, which summarises the literature review and background analysis; and the settlement strategy itself, which includes a snapshot of Circular Head now and in the future, a review of the planning environment including strategic drivers, opportunities and challenges for Circular Head, and the settlement strategy fundamentals – planning principles, settlement hierarchy, activity centre hierarchy, actions and next steps. The two documents have now been finalised and are due for public exhibition in early 2024.