Coffs Harbour City Council and the local rural community have been working together to develop a Rural Lands Strategic Plan. The aim of the plan is to improve the social, environmental and economic future for the rural community, while preserving the character of the area. Hundreds of residents attended a series of workshops facilitated by consultants from the University of New England. These workshops aimed to identify the characteristics residents wish to retain in their communities, raise issues of concern, discuss potential for development and economic growth, and forge a strategic plan for the future of rural lands.
A draft rural lands strategic plan has now been completed and is currently on exhibition in Coffs Harbour. Council was successful in its 2000/2001 application for funding assistance for the plan, gaining a $50,000 grant from the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services under the Regional Solutions Program. These funds will enable Council to begin implementation of elements of the plan. It is envisaged that the plan will be ongoing, allowing for changing needs and demands. Significant issues being addressed in the planning stage include the following.
- Enhancing the economic base of village centres
- Providing incentives to protect and enhance prime agricultural land
- Developing better property management assistance
- Developing measures to improve agricultural opportunities
- Providing incentives for alternative land uses, such as tourism and native vegetation
- Marketing and promoting rural tourism, environment and agriculture
- Identifying infrastructure needs and measures to finance the services
- Fostering employment opportunities for young adults
- Providing help for the elderly to leave rural properties
- Developing family orientated recreation, community and cultural events
- Protecting vegetation of the highest ecological value
- Providing means for rehabilitation of degraded farmlands, especially past banana plantations
- Improving information delivery on bushfire protection, weed management and waterway protection
- Providing information on soil landscapes, flooding, slope, significant vegetation and ground water vulnerability for property planning purposes.
