The Hilltops Council area is located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, about 240-380 km south-west of central Sydney. NCE was engaged to provide inputs and insight to Hilltops Council’s planning scheme and economic development initiatives.

The project involved consideration of both demand and supply-side dynamics and drivers for existing and emerging markets.

A detailed economic analysis of the risk, opportunities and planning/regulatory constraints to economic development in the region, with a specific focus on intensive agriculture (pork and poultry opportunities), was provided.

Analysis of the physical environment, infrastructure and economic data was undertaken to determine the region’s competitive advantage. This analysis was underpinned by spatial and economic analysis to identify areas within the region that exhibited attributes necessary to viable development, but also avoided land use conflicts and negative impacts on other land uses, the environment, and service delivery.

The outputs of this project informed the update of the Council’s planning scheme, including identifying hotspots for future development