Have your say on Gunnedah’s future

By Cr Rob Hooke

Gunnedah shire loves its open spaces and we are asking our community to have their say on draft master plans for four of our favourite outdoor spots.

Draft master plans for the Riverine Precinct (including Donnelly and Namoi Playing Fields and Woolshed Reserve), Gunnedah Showground, Kitchener Park and Wolseley Park have been placed on public exhibition.

These are very important open spaces for the community and if you are a frequent or even an infrequent user, we urge you to take a look at the draft master plans that are available on Gunnedah Shire Council’s website www.gunnedah.nsw.gov.au. You can find the link to Draft Documents & Exhibition on the home page.

The Draft Kitchener Park Master Plan is on public exhibition for a period of 60 days with the intention to present a final plan to a future council meeting following the assessment of potential submissions. If no submissions are made during this period, the plan will be endorsed.

Council is seeking further engagement with the community on the draft plans for Wolseley Park, the Showground and Riverine Precinct by placing these on public exhibition for 60 days. Following this period, the feedback will be reviewed and considered and any required changes made prior to endorsement of the plans.

We are also looking to the future with our Gunnedah Shire Local Housing Strategy which was updated earlier this year to align with the New England North West Regional Plan 2041.

The strategy includes three key directions, accompanied by 15 strategies and 34 actions for council to implement and encourage housing diversity and choice, and increase affordability in meeting the needs of its future population.

They are:

• Direction 1: Coordinate land use planning for future growth, community need and regional economic development.

• Direction 2: Provide well-located housing options to meet demand.

• Direction 3: Provide more affordable and low-cost housing.

The Strategy includes specific actions that will work towards more affordable housing and look at investigating a range of housing options for the future.

You can view the Strategy at https://www.gunnedah.nsw.gov.au/index.php/development/landuse-planning/land-use-strategies

Wednesday, August 14 will be our final meeting for this term of Gunnedah Shire Council ahead of the September 14, 2024 local government elections. If you would like to attend, come along to the council chambers at 63 Elgin Street at 4.30pm on that date.