About Public Land

 
European land settlement commenced in 1788 when Governor Phillip claimed possession of the land for a penal colony on behalf of the British Government. All lands were vested in the name of the Crown, thus the name Crown lands.The Surveyor General’s office was established soon after to administer these lands. By 1859 the NSW Department of Lands had been created to manage Crown land.

The Surveyor General’s office was established soon after to administer these lands.

By 1859 the NSW Department of Lands had been created to manage Crown land.

In the intervening period, nearly 230 years, Crown land has been granted, vested, sold and transferred to other government departments via a myriad of legislative arrangements. However, the State Government today remains by far the largest land owner in New South Wales, followed by Local Government and Local Aboriginal Land Councils.

Public land is overlaid with land management, title, planning and access rights legislation. Together with public consultation, transparency in government decisions and political oversight issues, obtaining and maintaining access to utilise public land is a complex and often lengthy process.

The current legislation for the administration of State land is the Crown Land Management Act 2016.

At Landsas, we understand the importance of the history of public land management and legislation and its effect on how land is managed today.

How Landsas can help

 
Landsas has a deep understanding of the requirements to navigate land related matters through government.

At Landsas we provide consultancy services relating to public land including:
 

  • Commercial leasing and project management for holiday parks, marinas, the extraction of materials, retail and industrial operations, telecommunications and agriculture;
  • Individual leasing for jetties, grazing, access and short term activities;
  • The purchase of existing leases, Crown roads and other land no longer required by Government;
  • The closure of Crown and Council roads;
  • Government acquisition of land; and
  • Investigations into public land status and how the history of the land effects its use today.

Commercial Leasing

 
For assistance with your commercial lease see Commercial Leasing.

Individual Leasing

 
Landsas can assist in dealing with Public Land authorities in relation to:
 

  • identification and assessment of land leasing and licensing proposals;
  • application preparation;
  • condition negotiation;
  • rent determination and redetermination; and
  • expansion and extension.

Purchase of Land

 
Generally, Government land is only sold if it is not required for a public purpose. However, different levels of government continue to own land which is not fully utilised and these parcels can usually be sold provided the responsible authority undertakes the processes required by legislation and policy.

The team at Landsas has expertise in:
 

  • commercial land sales;
  • the investigation of government lands to determine any encumbrances to potential sale;
  • application processes;
  • meeting government requirements in making land available for sale; and
  • negotiating with government in the sale of land.

Roads

 
The team at Landsas has extensive background in the closure and sale of Crown and Council roads.

We provide services to Local Government through:

  • managing the referencing and consultation processes on behalf of Council;
  • navigating the approval process with Department of Primary Industries – Lands;
  • arranging for survey; and
  • arranging title creation through Land and Property Information.

We provide services to businesses and individuals through:
 

  • the preparation of applications to close and purchase Crown and Council roads;
  • managing the negotiation and approval processes required by the Department of Primary Industries – Lands;
  • arranging for survey.

Acquisitions

 
Landsas can provide a comprehensive service to government authorities in the management of their compulsory acquisition processes under the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act 1991.