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Lord Howe
ISLAND BOARD
NSW Government

Get involved and have your say

Community consultation and approvals

The Lord Howe Island Critical Infrastructure Program is currently being progressed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Public Works and the Lord Howe Island Board.

Below is information on current and past community consultations and how you can have your say.

Community Information Session – Main Infrastructure Works

Reeves Envico, Principal Contractor with Pacific Marine Group and NSW Public Works personnel, visited Lord Howe Island from 29 June to Wednesday 1 July 2026, meeting with the Lord Howe Island Board and community members.

A community information session was held at the Lord Howe Island Community Hall on Wednesday 1 July at 10:00am to 12:30pm. Team members responsible for the detailed design and construction of the Main Infrastructure Works presented the Works and were available to answer questions from the community.

Reeves Envico have engaged Josh Owens as the Community Liaison Officer for the Main Infrastructure Works, Josh attended the session and is the ongoing point of contact for community members with questions about the Works.

A summary of the feedback received during the information session will be provided at the end of July 2026.

Existing recreational boat ramp workshop 

A workshop is to be held by Reeves Envico and Pacific Marine Group on Tuesday 30 June from 1:30pm – 3:00pm at the Lord Howe Island Community Hall.

A workshop on the existing recreational boat ramp was held by Reeves Envico and Pacific Marine Group at the Lord Howe Island Community Hall on Tuesday 30 June. Concept options for the boat ramp were presented, and community members were invited to give feedback to help refine and develop the design.

The Critical Infrastructure Program currently includes funding for the detailed design phase only. Completing the design now will ensure the project is ready to be constructed should additional future funding become available.

A summary of the feedback received during the boat ramp workshop will be provided at the end of July 2026.

Community Information Session – New Marine Vessel

Shipbuilder Serco Australia and Naval Architects International Maritime Consultants (IMC) presented the ship design plans and answered many questions on the new marine vessel. The community information session was held at the Lord Howe Island Public Hall on Tuesday 17 March at 10:00am to 12:00pm, with over 50 people attending.

The community heard directly from the shipbuilder, Serco Australia, about the new marine vessel for Lord Howe Island and the detailed design process. A summary of the “What was heard” on the day is provided here:

Critical State Significant Infrastructure approvals

The Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) approvals progress by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) in assessment phase with Draft Conditions of Consent provided on the project.

The project has been formally declared CSSI by gazettal on 29 May 2026 by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces. A copy of the declaration is available at: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/epi-2026-234.

A copy of the EIS continues to be available at the NSW Major Projects Planning Portal at:

Lord Howe Island Critical Infrastructure Project | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment

Ongoing consultation

The Project Team will continue to engage and update the community on the Critical Infrastructure Program as follows:

  • Community Consultation Group meetings (bi-monthly).
  • Householder updates – emailed and posted (monthly).
  • Regular articles in The Signal newspaper (bi-monthly).
  • Lord Howe Island Board meetings – Open Sessions (quarterly).
  • Community information sessions at key Program milestones.

Consultation and engagement, 2024 to 2026

2024

2025

  • June 2025: the North Zone and South Zone master plans and concept designs were endorsed by the Board at its open session on 5 June 2025 and released publicly, with artist impressions and video animations. More information on the North Zone and South Zone master plans can be found here: Critical Infrastructure Program – Master Plan Designs and Artist Impressions
  • October to November 2025: the Environmental Impact Statement was on public exhibition for community comment from 15 October, extended by a week to close on 18 November 2025. A copy of the EIS continues to be available at the NSW Major Projects Planning Portal at: 
    Lord Howe Island Critical Infrastructure Project | Planning Portal - Department of Planning and Environment
  • November 2025: 33 public submissions and 10 letters of advice from government agencies were received. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure requested a Response to Submissions on 24 November 2025.

2026

  • March 2026: the Response to Submissions Report was lodged on 4 March 2026 via the NSW Planning Portal. The Project Control Group, which includes community members, met on 16 March 2026 to review the first design pack of ship plans.
  • March 2026: a community information session on the new marine vessel was held on 17 March 2026, with more than 50 people attending. A summary of the “What was heard” on the day is provided here: Notes - Community Information Session - New Marine Vessel
  • April to May 2026: the community was invited to suggest a name and external colour for the new vessel. Round 1 of the naming engagement closed on 28 May 2026.
  • May 2026: the program was declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure by gazettal on 29 May 2026. A copy of the declaration is available at: https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/pdf/asmade/epi-2026-234.
  • June to July 2026: community information sessions on the Main Infrastructure Works, and a workshop on the recreational boat ramp, held from 29 June to 1 July 2026.

Contact the Project Team

If you have questions regarding the CIP, please email the project team at [email protected].