Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct, Australia

NSW Planning envisions the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales (NSW) as a year-round tourist destination and engaged Ramboll with our delivery partners to manage the production of three new delivery mechanisms that will guide future development. These planning control documents include:

• Jindabyne Development Control Plan (DCP)
• Alpine DCP, and
• Jindabyne Delivery Plan (DP).

They will play an important role in ensuring streamlined development assessment and resilient design that compliments and capitalises on the region’s unique character. ​

The DCPs and DP went on public exhibition in November 2023 with the Government seeking feedback from the community, businesses, government agencies and other stakeholders.

The plans respond to the overall Master Plan for the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SAP) and provide a place-based framework that celebrates the unique natural, physical and socio-economic characteristics of the local area. Overarching design principles that support the vision will provide a common thread to tie the precincts to their regional context. ​

As the lead consultant, Ramboll managed a team of specialist consultants: The Planning Studio providing statutory planning, urban design and landscape, Scott Carver as architecture, and Heine Jones providing wayfinding and signage services. Keys tasks include the development of a range of indicative layout plans, precinct character statements, design principles and development controls, as well as 3D block and stack testing of bulk and scale, yield and view lines.

The Snowy Mountains SAP covers 4,879 hectares and includes the Jindabyne catalyst and growth precincts, as well as the Alpine precinct. The SAP will focus on housing supply, aligned with the NSW Government’s priorities to address housing shortages and diversity in Jindabyne while preserving and maintaining the important environmental and heritage values of the Snowy Mountains.

The Snowy Mountains features a unique alpine landscape, an unmissable destination where visitors from Australia and overseas are drawn year-round to the everchanging seasons and unparalleled outdoor experiences.

The SAP’s Master Plan outlines a vision for the area as a year-round tourist destination with new business opportunities, services and community infrastructure for the people that live, work and visit the region.

The Jindabyne Catalyst Precinct comprises five sub-precincts. Ramboll worked with the Regional Growth NSW Development Corporation and Snowy Monaro Regional Council to prepare the DCP.

The Jindabyne Growth Precinct comprises seven sub-precincts that will support the increase in visitor and resident populations projected for the 40 years of the master plan.

The Alpine Precinct comprises 12 sub-precincts containing existing lease and licence areas focused on tourist attractions and accommodation. Ramboll is collaborating with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is assisting with the Alpine Precinct DCP.

Snowy Mountains is a multiple land use precinct with a focus on tourism. Ramboll identified where infrastructure upgrades were required to support tourism related activities, including an alpine sports precinct and mountain bike park.

The key challenges included ensuring that future development will reflect the current character and history of the alpine village, integrate Indigenous cultural heritage and balance development potential with environmental considerations around the National Park, which can be bushfire prone.

This can be a complex task in a mixed-use higher density development where resort operators are looking to increase visitor numbers across both winter and summer, which have very different climatic conditions.

The Ramboll team produced an interactive DCP, which aims to present the complex planning framework in a simple and easy-to-use format and allow navigation of guidance according to reader preferences.

Ramboll’s work on the Snowy Mountains SAP compliments our extensive work on other NSW SAPs, including Wagga Wagga, Moree, and Narrabri as well as the NSW Government’s Regional Jobs Precincts.