MidCoast Council's first Pedestrian Access Mobility Plan and Bike Plan has been adopted unanimously by Councillors and will now form the basis of future funding opportunities from within Council, as well as the State and Federal Governments.
The plan provides a series of strategies to improve facilities for walking and cycling across the MidCoast Council region, and thanks to consultation with community members it has been tailored specifically for individual towns and villages.
The first draft plan was created in 2019, following public consultation, and was presented to Councillors in 2020. The draft was put on public exhibition with further ideas and feedback sought from the community and these public submissions being incorporated into the final document.
"This is a great plan for the region and one that a lot of consideration has gone into to ensure it is reflective of the needs of each of the different communities," explained MidCoast Council's Director of Infrastructure and Engineering, Rob Scott.
"We received 394 submissions from community members which helped inform the final version of the plan and we'll be working with community groups and organisations in the future to assist in implementing these projects where possible."
The plan is all about connecting communities and ensuring accessibility for everyone across the MidCoast, including people with a disability, but it's also about increasing leisure opportunities and encouraging an active lifestyle.
"We know how important it is for our community to see improved pedestrian and mobility access across the region.
"These links will contribute to health and wellbeing outcomes of our communities through active recreation, and encouraging the incorporation of active transport networks into future development will promote positive environmental and social outcomes," said Rob.
However, he stressed that it is all dependent on funding being available.
"Ultimately this plan is a strategic document that lists the requests of the community in general terms, but detailed design and costings would be undertaken once funding is sought for each of the individual projects, pending availability," explained Rob.
"Our next step will be to prioritise projects and determine which ones are suitable for funding submissions to Council, as well as external grant opportunities."
