Wakefield Regional Council, South Australia, asked residents to help shape the region’s future, as it takes the first steps towards building its strategic plan for the next 10 years.
Five community forums were held, with full house attendance for most of these sessions.
The forums invited participants to brainstorm the things they believe would make the region a better place by 2030.
Council staff recorded and collated all responses from the forums for use when drafting the plan.
Wakefield Mayor, Rodney Reid, said ideas had touched on all issues regional councils face, including maximising community facilities, boosting sporting club potential, recognising local heritage and looking into sustainability and tourism.
“We’ve noticed an emphasis on sustainability and becoming ‘greener’ in the feedback which we believe is driven by the current conversation on global warming, and its promising to see some quality discussion on this.
“Providing more services, like ones you’d expect in outer city suburbs have also been frequent in an effort to attract more families to live here.
“We understand the less our towns look like suburbia, the less attractive they seem to the wider home-buying market.
“Most importantly, we want this engagement program to generate ideas that focus on a bright, sustainable future for our region – one where Council, the community and industries come together to create opportunities that see Wakefield prosper for generations to come.
“The windmill in the Wakefield 2030 logo represents this, as windmills are a feature of our landscape and a symbol of sustainability. They also represent energy, forward movement and momentum.”
More forums and workshops will be held this year, including ones targeting industry, youth and community groups.
