It’s now easier than ever for the community of Port Stephens to get access to development applications (DAs) lodged near their homes and businesses through our new e-subscription service and weekly newspaper advertising.

Group Manager Development Services Steve Peart said Council is keen to reach a wider portion of our community when advertising DAs.

“Council recently affirmed its commitment to open, timely and transparent communications with a new Communications and Engagement Strategy. The aim of the Strategy is to improve community awareness of our programs, activities and services,” Mr Peart said.

“Under this Strategy, our focus is to design communication that’s easy to understand and accessible by all.

“With a diverse age demographic across Port Stephens, we know not everyone is on social media or using email, but we also acknowledge not everyone reads the paper.

“That’s why we’re using both digital and traditional print media, giving our community the opportunity for greater input into Council’s decision making.

“This awareness campaign is about trying to find a balanced approach without compromising on transparency, and ensuring everyone has a chance to have their say on what’s happening in their community.

“Following changes to NSW legislation in 2020, we scaled down print advertising of our DAs, but the community has provided ongoing feedback that they’d like to see this reinstated to have more access to the information – our DA awareness campaign aims to provide this access,” he continued.

The campaign will be trialled from 9 January to 30 June 2023.

The campaign is jointly funded by Council and the NSW Government's Faster Local Assessment Grant Program, and does not form part of the formal notification period for a Development Application as outlined in Council’s Community Participation Plan. The campaign operates as a complementary program aimed at increasing opportunities for the community to contribute to broader decision making.

The e-subscription service will list the development applications lodged during the previous week and provide subscribers with direct links to relevant DA information.

Register for the new e-subscription service by visiting pscouncil.info/development-applications or by calling Council on 4988 0255.