50 Busby Street Planning Proposal
Public Exhibition information
A Planning Proposal in relation to land at 50 Busby Street (PP-2024-418), South Bathurst, is on Public Exhibition for a period of 28 days from Monday 17 November 2025 to Monday 15 December 2025.
The Planning Proposal relates to 50 Busby Street, South Bathurst, Lot 212 DP1289265 which currently contains the former St Catherine’s Nursing Home and Aged Care Facility which has been vacant since 2017.
The Planning Proposal seeks to rezone the site from R1 General Residential to R3 Medium Density Residential to allow a mix of townhouses and apartments, with building heights up to 16 metres. It also proposes a small café or food and drink use, and requires a detailed site-specific Development Control Plan to ensure high-quality design. The changes aim to revitalise a long-vacant site and support more diverse housing options close to services while maintaining South Bathurst’s character and heritage values.

(Figure 1 - Proposed Master Plan of the site showing a potential output of the Planning Proposal. This Master Plan should not be taken as the definitive end result. The Planning Proposal only relates to the planning laws that may lead to the development of the site for the purposes of medium density housing and associated small commercial uses.)
The proposed amendments involve the following:
Planning Control | Existing | 50 Busby Street Planning Proposal |
Zoning | R1 General Residential | R3 Medium Density |
Minimum lot size (Dwelling) | 550m2 | 1300m2 |
Dual Occupancy minimum lot size | 850m2 | Remove – no longer needed as Dual Occupancies are prohibited in the R3 zone |
Height of Buildings | 9m | 16m (for apartments) |
Additional Permitted Use (Schedule 1) | N/A | Food and drink premises
|
Additional local provision (Council proposed inclusion within the Planning Proposal) | N/A | Require DCP to be in place before DA consent can be issued to achieve design excellence |
| Clause 7.6 Mount Panorama Environs | N/A | Require the site to be subject to the provisions of Clause 7.6 Mount Panorama Environs. |
| Clause 5.10 Heritage Conservation | Partially covers site | Extend over all of 50 Busby Street site. |
Mapping Changes | Land zoning map Height of buildings map Lot size map Additional permitted uses map Minimum Lot size – dual occupancy Mount Panorama Environs map Heritage Conservation Area map | |
The proposed amendments seek to facilitate a greater density of dwellings on each site to support improved housing choice and diversity within the City of Bathurst.
An Explanation Summary of the Planning Proposal and all lodged and amended documentation is provided in the document library on the right side of this page.
If you would like to find out more information about each Planning Proposal, including about the Explanation Summary and the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure’s Gateway Determination, please navigate to the respective projects which are linked on the right side of this page.
View the Planning Proposals in 3D
The envisaged master plan model for 50 Busby Street can be viewed on the Bathurst Digital Twin alongside the envisage building envelopes and master plan footprint for 34 Busby Street. With the assistance of NSW Spatial Services, the Bathurst Digital Twin is provided as a tool for the public to understand potential visual and overshadowing impacts that may result from both Planning Proposals. After entering the site, please ensure that you wait for the 3D graphics to load.
Submissions
Council invites written submissions in relation to both Planning Proposals. Any submission needs to be lodged with Council by 4.00pm on 15 December 2025 and must include your name and address.
Any submission that you make on either or both proposals may be included without alteration (including names and addresses) in reports that are available to the public in Council business papers.
Council will consider all submissions made to it, but to influence the Council’s decision any submission you make must be relevant and well founded.
Please ensure you indicate in your submission if your submission relates to:
Planning Proposal for 34 Busby St; or
Planning Proposal for 50 Busby St; or
Both Planning Proposals.
Written submissions can be lodged in the submission section below, noting that an account with YourSay is required to use this method. Alternatively, you can email your submission to council@bathurst.nsw.gov.au or post your submission to Bathurst Regional Council, Private Mail Bag 17, Bathurst NSW 2795.
If you have any queries, please contact Council's Manager Strategic Planning, Janet Bingham, or Senior Heritage Planner, Tamsin McIntosh on 6333 6211.
Please note that the Planning Proposal does not approve the development. The Planning Proposal only seeks to amend the Planning Controls to facilitate development of the site as proposed in the concept Master Plan. Council is not considering the concept master plan as the final design of the development as this is expected to change in response to community feedback and design guidelines incorporated into the recommended site-specific DCP, should the Planning Proposal progress to adoption.