Sutherland Shire Council Unveils 'Surprise Rezoning' Plan: Residents Invited to Guess Their New Zoning

Sandy Shores | Editor in Chief | Sutherland Shire Gazette

5 June 2025

Sutherland Shire residents woke this week to an exciting new game of bureaucratic chance: “Surprise! You’ve Been Rezoned!” - brought to you by last week’s narrow 6–5 council vote to push ahead with the Draft Waterways Planning Proposal.

The proposal, which could rezone sections of local waterways to W2 Recreational Waterways, now applies only to areas directly abutting residential properties. In short: if water touches your back fence, congratulations — you may be eligible for mystery zoning.

Residents are asked to trust the process and locate their properties by spinning the official Zoning Wheel™, a colourful, laminated spinner now located in the foyer of council chambers between the ‘Men’s Toilet’ and a faded bushfire awareness poster.

“We want to balance ecological outcomes, community use, and pure chaos,” said a council spokesperson, nodding earnestly at a PDF map last updated in 2014. “This is about the future. Possibly your neighbour’s future waterfront cafe.”

The motion passed with a tense 6–5 majority and the Waterways Planning Proposal now heads to the Department of Planning for Gateway Determination - a step that sounds official but could also be a rejected Bond film.

Local residents concerned about the implications of the draft proposal are encouraged to visit Council’s Customer Service Centre, where they can now spin the official Zoning Wheel™ to discover whether they’ve been reclassified as Recreational Waterway, Floating Café Precinct, Boutique Marina Potential, or Possible Dugong Habitat.