Parkes Shire Council has provided an update to its 20-year Housing Strategy which comes with four proposed amendments.
Most of the changes are in response to the devastating floods of November 2022 that heavily affected homes and land in the town's east.
Named the Housing Strategy 2021-2041 - 2025 Update, it's now on public exhibition until 19 March after councillors agreed to adopt the draft with the amendments at their February monthly meeting.
And residents are welcome to provide feedback.
In his report tabled at the Council meeting, Director Planning and Community Services Brendan Hayes said Council is actively planning for growth and since 2020 has developed the Parkes Local Strategic Planning Statement 2020, Parkes Housing Strategy 2021 and the Middleton Masterplan 2023.
The Middleton Masterplan was identified as ‘Priority 1’ in Parkes' residential growth area in the Housing Strategy, which has seen the construction and sale of a number of houses.
"In November 2022 Parkes experienced a major flood event that saw areas of Parkes inundated that had never been affected in the past," Mr Hayes said.
"This event has impacted greatly on the areas previously identified within the Housing Strategy for urban expansion and as such requires review and rationalisation to identify the impacted areas and bring forward identified land for next priority housing."
Council is conducting a Flood Study funded by the state government and is updating its current Housing Strategy to reevaluate residential growth priority areas outside flood affected land.
"While Council is waiting on the final flood mapping from consultants, Council must continue its strategic planning work to support the delivery of housing," Mr Hayes wrote in his report.
The amendments that were adopted proposed to remove flood impacted land from the priority area and identify new priority areas.
Land around Goobang Creek such as Nash Street and Tanks Road was identified as suitable for urban expansion but after the floods impacted these areas it's no longer considered suitable.
"With that we're bringing forward the urban housing investigation areas that identifies Harrowvale," Mr Hayes told the meeting.
Council purchased 330 hectares of farmland on 'Harrowvale', between Henry Parkes Way (Orange Road), Military Road and Cookamidgera Road, in 2024 for future residential expansion.
Harrowvale has formally been identified in the updated Housing Strategy as an area for urban expansion.
"What we're also doing is looking at the consideration of reducing a minimum lot size in our R5 area to the north-western (of Parkes) to allow further development similar to and to match what we know as the Jones Street development," Mr Hayes said.
This is the fourth and final amendment that refers to land in the residential area around Thomas and Farrer streets that is marked 'Priority 5'.
Mr Hayes said expansion in the west is currently constrained due to the limitations of the reticulated sewerage system.
"Without significant investment in trunk reticulated sewerage infrastructure, development in the Thomas and Farrer street area can not progress," he said.
His alternative option for this area is to reduce the minimum lot size to 6000m2, which he said is adequate to support an on-site sewerage management system, such as septic tanks, composting toilet or aerated system, and have a connection to reticulated water service.
Mayor Neil Westcott said there had to be a "rethink" after the November 2022 flood.
He also commended Mr Hayes and his department for highlighting the opportunities that Harrowvale presents.
Residents can view the draft strategy at Parkes Shire Council's Administration Building in Cecile Street during business hours or on its website under the Your Say tab.
Anyone is welcome to make a submission relating to the strategy, these close at 5pm on Wednesday, 19 March.
The draft update will come back to a Council meeting after the exhibition period for further determination and formal adoption.