Entitled 'Shaping our Future 2040' - this is a very important new layer to forward planning instituted under NSW government requirements but following consultation with the local community and government agencies.

I cannot over stress how game-changing this new document will be, by setting a new layer of human-centred headline 'values' to guide future planning.

That will mean a more human-centred approach to land planning, rather than just concerning built form.

In my opinion that is a great move, not the least by offering a method for council and the community to directly address potential problems arising from local population growth.

How to accommodate a growing population without destroying the reason people originally came and then stayed here? How to ensure a sustainable high quality of life for all?

I heartily applaud this new values-based approach and, in moving the item at the council meeting, congratulated the NSW government for initiating the LSPS process.

But it will not be an easy path making this a success.

To quote the council staff report: 'implementing the LSPS will require a comprehensive review of all council's key strategies to ensure measurable consistency from top to bottom and back'.

That will need strong leadership from council, plus genuine commitment by NSW to actually respect the adopted community values, and determination by the community to hold council accountable.

We in council must be more publicly upfront about the real challenges facing our community and the world at large, and not just sugar-coat issues.

It will require a paradigm shift in thinking - never easy to achieve.

This difficult task is well suited for local councils to address - they being the level of government closest to the people.

Cr Intemann's opinions are not necessarily council's.