PALERANG: OUR FUTURE is underway

27 May 2011

Council has begun a series of community consultation forums to hear what its residents and ratepayers have to say about the future of our local Palerang area.

Those taking part are being asked to comment on what they value most about the Palerang area now, what they see as challenges facing Palerang and how these may be addressed to make Palerang a better place to live in the future.

The information gained from the forums will be used to develop the Palerang Community Strategic Plan, which will guide Council's program of activities during the next 20 years. The Plan will be continually updated to reflect the changing community needs.

Council's General Manager, Peter Bascomb, is very pleased with the way the forums are going. "We had our first forum at Gundillion last Monday night, with a good crowd attending. Discussion at each of the tables was vigorous and enlightening," said Mr Bascomb. "Our second forum was in Araluen, with a good cross section of residents participating. This was followed by a forum specifically for business and government agencies in Braidwood, and then the largest group of nearly 70 at the Braidwood community forum on Wednesday evening. The last one in this round was at Nerriga on Thursday night," he added.

"I've been impressed by the way everyone is contributing positively and passionately at the forums. Clearly, each area has its own particular issues, but there are some common ones cropping up at each forum," said Mr Bascomb. "It's obvious that roads are a major issue in the outlying areas, and cultural heritage is important in Braidwood; however funding for local government - or rather, the lack of funding - is probably Council's biggest obstacle to meeting the community's needs," he said.

The second round of forums will begin on Tuesday, 14 June, at Captains Flat, followed by Bungendore, Burra and finishing with Wamboin on Friday, 17 June. Anyone intending to come to one or more of the forums is encouraged to register with Council beforehand.

This article can be found on the web at:
http://palerang.local-e.nsw.gov.au/news/pages/13190.html