Oxley Beach C2 Environmental Conservation | Planning Proposal PP-2025-1474 

What does C2 Environmental Conservation zoning mean at Oxley Beach? 

One of the central concerns raised by Protect Oxley Beach is the proposal to change the planning controls that currently protect the natural, cultural, environmental and scientific values of Oxley Beach.

The proposed Oxley Beach Ocean Pool cannot be constructed under the current planning framework because much of the proposed site is zoned C2 Environmental Conservation under the Port Macquarie Local Environmental Plan.

That zoning is significant.

C2 Environmental Conservation is intended to protect land containing important ecological, scientific, cultural, scenic and aesthetic values and to prevent development that could adversely affect those values.

The planning proposal currently known as PP-2025-1474 seeks to amend the Local Environmental Plan by introducing a site-specific planning provision that would allow development not currently anticipated within the C2 zone.

To understand what is being proposed, it is important to first understand why Oxley Beach is zoned C2, what that zoning is designed to protect and how the proposed planning amendment could change the existing planning framework.

What Is C2 Environmental Conservation Zoning?

C2 Environmental Conservation is a land-use zone under the NSW planning system designed for areas with significant environmental values.

The surrounding land at Oxley Beach is predominantly zoned C2 Environmental Conservation under the relevant Port Macquarie Local Environmental Plan.

The purpose of this type of zoning is not simply to identify land that happens to be undeveloped.

Rather, it recognises that particular environmental, ecological, cultural, scientific, scenic or aesthetic characteristics warrant long-term protection.

Under the NSW Standard Instrument Local Environmental Plan, the key objectives of the C2 zone include:

• Protecting, managing and restoring areas of high ecological, scientific, cultural or aesthetic values.

• Preventing development that could destroy, damage or otherwise adversely affect those values.

These objectives are important when considering any proposal that would permanently alter a C2-zoned coastal environment.

Why Does C2 Zoning Matter?

Planning zones establish the framework for how land can be used and developed.

Residential land is planned primarily for housing.

Commercial land is planned for businesses and services.

Industrial land is planned for employment and industry.

C2 Environmental Conservation land has a different purpose.

Its planning framework starts from the principle that important environmental values should be protected and managed for the long term.

This does not necessarily mean that every C2 site must be inaccessible or completely untouched.

Compatible low-impact activities may be possible.

However, development must be considered against the fundamental purpose of the zone: conservation and protection of environmental values.

That distinction is particularly important at Oxley Beach, where natural, cultural, geological and scenic values overlap in one coastal landscape.

How Is C2 Zoning Determined?

Land is not generally zoned C2 simply because it has not been developed.

Environmental conservation zoning can reflect a range of strategic planning, environmental and landscape considerations.

These can include:

• native vegetation and biodiversity

• threatened species and ecological communities

• Aboriginal cultural heritage

• geological and geoheritage significance

• scenic landscape values

• coastal processes and hazards

• waterways and wetlands

• wildlife habitat and ecological connectivity

• long-term environmental management objectives.

In other words, zoning reflects the characteristics and strategic importance of the land.

Once land is identified for environmental conservation, the planning framework is intended to provide long-term protection for the values that justified that zoning.

Why Is Oxley Beach Zoned C2?

Oxley Beach contains many of the characteristics that environmental conservation zoning is designed to protect.

These include its:

Birpai Cultural Heritage

Oxley Beach forms part of the traditional Country of the Birpai People and remains part of a living cultural landscape.

Its Aboriginal cultural significance is an important consideration when assessing the values of the site.

Native Vegetation and Habitat

The coastal environment contains native vegetation and habitat that contribute to biodiversity and ecological connectivity along the Port Macquarie coastline.

Scenic and Landscape Values

Oxley Beach retains a relatively natural coastal character despite its proximity to the Port Macquarie town centre.

Its open beach, cliffs, headlands, vegetation and ocean views contribute to the area's scenic and landscape values.

Geological Significance

The coastline forms part of the Port Macquarie Coastal Tract, an area recognised for its significant geological features.

Exposed rock platforms provide evidence of approximately 500 million years of geological history and contribute to the scientific and educational value of the coastline.

Coastal Hazard and Natural Processes

The site is also exposed to coastal processes and hazards, including considerations relating to erosion, inundation, storm surge and future sea-level rise.

These factors are particularly important when considering permanent infrastructure on a dynamic coastline.

Threatened Species and Biodiversity

Environmental investigations undertaken for the proposal have identified nine threatened, endangered or vulnerable fauna species occurring within or immediately adjacent to the proposal area.

This highlights the biodiversity values associated with the site.

Threatened species are one of the factors that can contribute to the conservation significance of coastal environments.

For Protect Oxley Beach, the presence of threatened fauna reinforces the need for careful assessment of potential impacts before changes are made to the existing planning framework.

A major coastal development can involve construction, excavation, vegetation disturbance, altered drainage, increased visitation, lighting, noise and changes to habitat.

Understanding those potential impacts is an important part of determining whether a proposal is compatible with the conservation values for which the land is protected.

How Is C2 Environmental Conservation Land Managed?

The underlying principle of C2 land is conservation first.

Management can focus on:

• protecting biodiversity

• conserving threatened species and habitat

• protecting Aboriginal cultural heritage

• maintaining natural landforms

• allowing natural coastal processes to continue

• protecting geological and scientific values

• restoring degraded vegetation and habitat

• supporting compatible low-impact recreation

• ensuring development does not adversely affect the values that justified conservation zoning.

This approach recognises that natural areas can provide significant public benefits without requiring major infrastructure.

At Oxley Beach, those benefits include recreation, scenic enjoyment, nature appreciation, cultural connection, geological education and access to the coastline.

What Development Is Permitted in a C2 Zone?

C2 Environmental Conservation is different from residential, commercial or intensive recreation zones.

The zone is not intended to facilitate large-scale urban development.

Depending on the applicable planning instrument and circumstances, a limited range of activities may be permitted with development consent where they are consistent with the objectives of the zone.

These can include uses such as:

• environmental protection works

• environmental facilities

• research facilities

• roads

• flood mitigation works

• certain eco-tourism facilities

• passive recreation.

The important principle is compatibility with the conservation purpose of the land.

Major development that could adversely affect environmental, cultural, geological or scenic values is fundamentally different from low-impact recreational use.

This is why the existing planning controls matter.

Planning Proposal PP-2025-1474 and the Proposed Oxley Beach Ocean Pool

Planning Proposal PP-2025-1474 seeks to amend the Port Macquarie Local Environmental Plan to facilitate the proposed permanent ocean pool and associated infrastructure at Oxley Beach.

The proposal would introduce a site-specific planning provision intended to enable development that is not currently anticipated under the existing C2 Environmental Conservation zoning.

The proposed development could involve infrastructure such as:

• a permanent ocean pool structure

• reinforced concrete retaining walls

• associated engineering infrastructure

• excavation and modification of natural rock platforms

• public amenities

• supporting infrastructure

• construction activities within land currently recognised for environmental, geological, cultural and scenic values.

The significance of the planning proposal is therefore broader than simply constructing a pool.

It involves a proposed change to the planning framework governing the site.

Why Is a Planning Proposal Required?

Under the existing planning framework, the proposed ocean pool is not simply a development that can proceed under the current C2 zoning.

A planning proposal is therefore being used to seek an amendment to the Local Environmental Plan.

This is an important distinction.

The question is not simply:

“Can an ocean pool be built here?”

It is also:

“Should the planning controls that currently protect this land be changed to enable an ocean pool to be built here?”

That question requires consideration of the environmental, cultural, scientific, planning and strategic values that underpin the existing zoning.

What Is a Site-Specific Planning Provision?

A site-specific planning provision is a planning mechanism that can establish special rules for a particular site.

In this case, the proposed amendment would seek to create a pathway for development at Oxley Beach that is not currently contemplated by the existing C2 Environmental Conservation planning framework.

This makes the proposal particularly important from a planning perspective.

The existing zoning establishes one set of expectations for the land.

The planning proposal seeks to create an exception or specific planning pathway to facilitate a different type of development.

The community therefore has a legitimate interest in understanding why that change is necessary, what values may be affected and whether the proposed development represents an appropriate use of the site.

The Bigger Planning Question

The debate about the proposed Oxley Beach Ocean Pool should not be reduced to whether an ocean pool would provide recreational benefits.

It is reasonable to ask what recreational benefits a pool could provide.

It is equally reasonable to ask whether those benefits justify changing planning controls designed to protect a conservation-zoned coastal environment.

That requires consideration of the full range of public values.

These include:

Environmental values
What biodiversity, habitat and coastal ecological values could be affected?

Cultural values
What Birpai cultural heritage and connections to Country need to be protected?

Geological values
What significant geological formations or scientific values could be affected?

Coastal values
How would permanent infrastructure interact with coastal hazards and natural processes?

Planning values
Why is a major recreation facility proposed within land zoned for environmental conservation?

Community values
What existing recreational and community experiences could be changed or lost?

Financial values
What are the long-term construction, maintenance, renewal and coastal resilience costs?

These questions are central to understanding the proposal.

Protecting Conservation Values Does Not Mean Opposing Recreation

Protect Oxley Beach supports investment in high-quality public recreation.

The organisation's concern is not the concept of an ocean pool.

It is whether Oxley Beach is the right location for such a significant and permanent development.

Communities need recreation facilities.

They also need natural places.

The planning challenge is finding an appropriate balance between providing infrastructure and protecting the environmental, cultural and scenic assets that make a community unique.

A conservation zone exists precisely because those assets have been recognised as valuable.

The question is therefore whether the proposed change would maintain those values—or undermine the reason the land was originally protected.

Why the Existing Planning Controls Matter

Planning controls are more than technical documents.

They establish long-term expectations about how land should be managed.

At Oxley Beach, C2 Environmental Conservation zoning reflects a planning decision that the area's environmental, cultural, scientific and scenic values warrant protection.

Changing those controls could therefore establish a significant precedent.

It raises a broader question for Port Macquarie-Hastings:

If conservation-zoned coastal land can be amended to accommodate major infrastructure, what does that mean for the long-term protection of other environmentally significant places?

This is why understanding the planning proposal matters—not only for Oxley Beach, but for the future management of the region's coastline.

A Decision About the Future of Oxley Beach

Oxley Beach is already a valuable public place.

Its natural coastline, geological features, cultural significance, biodiversity, scenic qualities and recreational opportunities provide benefits to the community every day.

The proposed Planning Proposal PP-2025-1474 seeks to change the planning framework to enable a major new piece of infrastructure within this environment.

That change deserves careful, transparent and evidence-based consideration.

Before permanent changes are made, the community should understand:

• why the land was originally zoned C2

• what environmental and cultural values the zoning protects

• what impacts the proposed development could have

• why a site-specific planning amendment is considered necessary

• whether the proposal is strategically justified

• whether alternative locations could provide similar recreational benefits with fewer impacts.

These are fundamental planning questions.

Protecting What the C2 Zone Was Designed to Protect

Oxley Beach's C2 Environmental Conservation zoning exists for a reason.

It reflects recognition of a coastal landscape containing environmental, cultural, geological, scenic and scientific values.

Those values belong not only to today's community but also to future generations.

Protect Oxley Beach believes that changing the planning controls for this site should not be treated as a minor technical amendment.

It is a decision about the future character of one of Port Macquarie's remaining natural coastal places.

The central question is therefore not simply whether an ocean pool can be built.

It is whether the benefits of changing the planning framework outweigh the environmental, cultural, planning and community values that the existing conservation zoning was created to protect.

That is a question that deserves careful consideration, open public discussion and decisions based on evidence.

Frequently Asked Questions About Oxley Beach C2 Zoning

What is C2 Environmental Conservation?

• C2 Environmental Conservation is a land-use zone within the NSW planning framework used to protect areas with high ecological, scientific, cultural, scenic or aesthetic values.

Why is Oxley Beach zoned C2?

• Oxley Beach contains a combination of environmental, cultural, geological, scenic and coastal values that align with the purpose of C2 Environmental Conservation zoning.

What is Planning Proposal PP-2025-1474?

• PP-2025-1474 is a planning proposal seeking to amend the Port Macquarie Local Environmental Plan to enable the proposed Ocean Pool and associated infrastructure at Oxley Beach.

Why does the Ocean Pool require a planning proposal?

• The proposed development is not currently anticipated under the existing C2 Environmental Conservation planning controls. A planning amendment is therefore being sought to establish a site-specific planning pathway.

Does C2 zoning mean no recreation is allowed?

• Not necessarily. Some compatible recreational and environmental uses can be considered within C2 land. However, the purpose of the zone is conservation, and development must be consistent with its environmental protection objectives.

What environmental values are associated with Oxley Beach?

• The area includes native coastal vegetation, habitat, threatened fauna, geological features, scenic values and coastal landscapes. It also forms part of the broader Port Macquarie Coastal Tract.

Why is the planning proposal important?

• The proposal could change the planning framework that currently protects conservation-zoned land at Oxley Beach. Understanding that change is essential to assessing the long-term environmental, cultural and community implications of the proposed ocean pool.