A very good morning to you all. My name is Fred Paton. I'm the councillor for Ward C and I'm pleased to bring you this week's video message.
Today we're going to focus on the Dungog Housing and Infrastructure Plan. It's an important strategic and planning process, probably the most important body of work the Shire has done in the last 20 years, and it'll set the framework for the next 20 years.
So it's critical you get involved by way of the rationale. Dungog Shire has growing interest in rural living, increased development pressure, and a need for clear infrastructure. The Master Plan will provide a strategic framework to manage growth sensibly while preserving the Shire's rural character, natural environment and community values. The Federal government has provided a grant to fund this so they are certainly behind this work being done.
It's vital that you have your input, because, after all, what will be developed within this framework will set the framework for the next 20 years and potentially enhance your lifestyle. I will touch on broadly, the key components of this housing infrastructure plan. It is an integrated series of plans and strategies. There's a local housing strategy, a rural land strategy, infrastructure capacity and privatisation plan, because they go hand in hand, and there's also the Dungog strategic centre structural plan. It will have a similar approach to the Clarence Town one, which has recently been completed.
There'll be a growth management stretch strategy developed along with a delivery plan for all of us to come together. Essentially, the program objectives will lead to, in a second phase, the basis for a long overdue update to the Shire's local environmental plan, the development control plan and contributions plan. Essentially, I thought it worthwhile that we should take a look very briefly at the components of the rural land strategy, which will focus on rural enterprises, potential diversification - remember, we looking 20 years ahead, zoning strategy, minimum lot size dwelling entitlements review - this is where the land is below the minimum lot size threshold, and also the potential for simplifying development requirements such as sheds to ensure that we enable an easy pathway to develop it, and essentially it needs to balance the opportunities for more rural housing with sensible and a sustainable rural future.
Now, the council is holding a series of public information sessions and engagement activities to ensure that the draft plan can be released later in the year, and it reflects your input, your concerns and what you consider as the priorities. And I stress it's really important that you the community, do get involved. Make the time. The project team is very keen to hear your feedback. The first community sessions will be held in Clarence Town tomorrow. The first one will be at the bowling club – it'll be a pop up session at the community markets, another session at the Clarence Town School of Arts from 2pm to 5pm, and subsequent ones will occur in Dungog on Saturday, the 5th at the Dungog markets held at the Anglican Church from 9am to 12pm, and that'll be followed on Sunday, from 2pm to 5pm at the Doug Walters Pavilion, and Gresford on Saturday, the 12th, from 2pm to 5pm at the Gresford School of Arts. Further sessions for Paterson and Vacy are being planned, and the community will be advised once locked in.
Now in terms of the infrastructure master plan, the process going forward is initially in June and July, there's public engagement, July to September, the project team will preparing their draft strategies and plans with the intention it will then go on display at the back end of the year to give the community a further opportunity to have their say. And I can only encourage you please make the time, in particular with the Rural Lands strategy, which is going to touch all areas of the Shire.
Now further information can be obtained from the Dungog Shire website. If you go into the search bar, it's very, very simple. Just type in Dungog Shire housing and infrastructure management plan and it'll take you directly to the website. Now, importantly, if you can't attend some of these sessions, if you go to the last page of that, you'll see a hyperlink. There is a survey. It's very simple to complete. Just click on that and you can fill in the form, and the project team will then know what your thoughts, concerns and issues are.
So I'd like to thank you for listening, and I hope you found it informative. Thank you.
