In a first for Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, the towns, villages and precincts of the region will soon have their own score to reflect how unique, vibrant and exciting these places are in the eyes of the community.
In collaboration with independent research agency Place Score, Council conducted both online and face-to-face surveys throughout November and early December to measure ‘place experience’; allowing communities to share what they most care about and rate their own
neighbourhoods.
Coffs Harbour City Council’s Local Planning Section Leader, Sharon Smith, said Place Score was a first for the area and would add to other community consultation findings.
“Council is in frequent consultation with the community to assist in better shaping the places they live, work and play in through qualitative feedback.
“This will be the first time we can measure our different places across the local government area to gain a numerical benchmark to diagnose problems, identify priorities and measure change to understand where we are doing well and where there is room for improvement.
“It will also allow us to measure the visitor experience in our places for the first time, which could provide further insights to our tourism and events industry and also facilitate key projects such as the Integrated Transport Strategy for Coffs Harbour.”
The survey asked residents to identify what they valued in their neighbourhood and then rate how it was performing.
The results will determine the priorities for improving liveability for local communities.
The data will be reviewed and made available to the public in the New Year via Council’s website.
