Draft Singleton Town Centre Masterplan - Exhibition extended

The draft Singleton Town Centre Masterplan is a long-term vision for the future of the town centre. It identifies opportunities to improve the town centre's attractiveness, accessibility, economic vitality, public spaces, housing opportunities and overall liveability over time.

The draft Masterplan draws on the 2013 Masterplan and identifies contemporary drivers of change that are likely to influence how the CBD evolves over the next 20 years.

The draft Masterplan does not directly approve any development. Instead, it provides a framework to guide future projects, planning decisions and investment by Council and other stakeholders.

Town centres evolve over time and must respond to changing community needs, population growth, economic trends and infrastructure delivery such as the Singleton Bypass.

Council’s previous Town Centre Masterplan was adopted in 2013, and in this time there has been a significant amount of change to the way the town centre functions. The largest inter-generational change is the construction of the Singleton Bypass. A review of the Masterplan enables Council and the community to influence how this opportunity can benefit Singleton into the future.

A Masterplan creates a vision for the future development of Singleton. The Masterplan has been prepared to help ensure the town centre remains vibrant, accessible and attractive for residents, businesses and visitors while planning for future growth and investment.

Community input has played an important role in shaping the draft Masterplan.

Council undertook a community survey in early 2026 which received more than 400 responses from residents, business owners and other stakeholders. Feedback from the survey helped identify key issues, drivers of change, opportunities and priorities for the town centre and have informed the preparation of the draft Masterplan.

The survey identified a range of themes and priorities from the community, including:

• Maintaining and enhancing the character of the town centre
• Improving public spaces and streetscapes
• Supporting local businesses and economic activity
• Improving walkability and accessibility
• Managing traffic and parking along John Street
• Enhancing connections to key destinations and community facilities.

No decisions have been made to remove parking as a result of the draft Masterplan.

The Masterplan identifies opportunities to improve how parking is managed and how people move around the town centre. Any future changes to parking arrangements would require further investigation, design work and community consultation before being implemented.

The Masterplan seeks to improve the overall movement network within the town centre by balancing the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users and motorists.

Importantly, investigating how heavy vehicles will traverse Singleton once the bypass is completed is a significant opportunity, with the potential to connect significant parts of the CBD via walking, cycling and other modes of transport, as well as creating connections between the CBD and the Hunter River.

Any major transport or road changes would be subject to further detailed assessment before implementation.

No. The draft document includes an action to investigate the closure of Burns and Anns lanes. The draft is not final, and the community are invited to have their say on all elements of the draft document.

Council acknowledges the significant community interest in this action and recognises the number of submissions received to date objecting to the closure of Burns and Anns lanes.

If this action is included in the final version of the Masterplan, any decisions around the closure would be the result of a comprehensive movement and parking study and further opportunities for community feedback.  

No. The Masterplan is a strategic planning document and does not approve specific development proposals. Any future development would still be required to comply with relevant planning controls and obtain any necessary approvals.

Implementation of the Masterplan is expected to occur over many years.

Projects will be prioritised based on community benefit, funding availability, feasibility and Council priorities.

No. The draft Town Centre Masterplan has been placed on public exhibition for the community, businesses and stakeholders to review the proposed actions and provide feedback before the document is finalised.

While the draft Masterplan contains a range of proposed projects, priorities and actions, these are not yet final. Community feedback received during the exhibition period will help Council understand which initiatives are supported, identify any concerns and determine whether changes should be made before the Masterplan is considered for adoption.

This is the community's opportunity to help shape the final Town Centre Masterplan and influence the priorities that will guide future planning and investment in the town centre.

Community members are encouraged to review the Draft Town Centre Masterplan and provide feedback during the public exhibition period.

Submissions can be made:

• Online;
• By email to Council via council@singleton.nsw.gov.au
• By post to PO Box 314 Singleton NSW 2330
• In person at Council's Administration Building at the corner of Queen Street and Civic Avenue, Singleton

Yes.

Council is aware that technical difficulties resulted in the project webpage and exhibition material being unavailable for approximately 24 hours during the exhibition period.

The draft document was scheduled to be on publicly exhibition for a period of 28 days from 9am Thursday 28 May until 5pm Thursday 25 June 2026. To ensure the community has a fair opportunity to review the Draft Town Centre Masterplan and provide feedback, the exhibition period has been extended until 5pm Sunday 28 June 2026.

Council apologises for any inconvenience caused and encourages all interested community members to review the exhibition material and make a submission before the revised closing date.

Following the exhibition period, Council staff will review all submissions received and consider whether any amendments to the Draft Masterplan are required.

A report will then be prepared for Council outlining the feedback received, any recommended changes and a recommendation regarding adoption of the Masterplan.

Yes.

All submissions received during the exhibition period will be reviewed and considered by Council staff. A summary of issues raised through submissions will be included in the report presented to Council following the exhibition period.