Have your say on Pakington Street

ONE of the best parts about living near Pakington Street is the diversity of houses, shops and restaurants that are right on your doorstep.

Regardless of what you are into from an architecture perspective, or what your tastes in retail or food might be, it is generally the case that if you want it, you can get it along Pako.

And that goes for both ends – there seems to be something for everyone along the entire stretch.

Pakington Street is a spot that elicits a lot of passion from the community, which was evident during the period the City was drafting r an urban design framework for the northern end of the street.

While there were multiple rounds of consultation, Council didn’t feel that there was a broad consensus about the way forward.

A fresh approach was needed, which gave the community a greater voice.

To achieve this, officers proposed a deliberative engagement process.

The design of the engagement process was undertaken in consultation with representatives of the Help Save Pakington Street Group and has now been completed.

Council endorsed this approach at Tuesday’s council meeting.

It aims to draw inspiration from a representative panel of community members, to co-design a new community-led UDF for the Pakington North Precinct.,

Officers will commence recruitment for this in the coming weeks, and hope to have it in place by the end of the yearFor those who might be interested in joining this panel, an Expressions of Interest (EOI) process is now open.

The City is seeking at least 60 community members to collaborate and co-design the new UDF over six in-person sessions, led by Capire Consulting.

The community panel will look to include residents, business owners and visitors of all ages and genders, from different locations, housing backgrounds and family compositions, to ensure a diversity of voices are heard.

To ensure those in closest proximity to the area concerned are represented, a higher percentage of panel members will be residents and business owners from the Pakington North Precinct, with the remaining participants those who visit, work and study in the area.

The sessions early next year will focus on key themes that emerged from the consultation on the former draft UDF: ‘Setting the Scene and Understanding the Drivers for Change,’ ‘The Public Realm,’ ‘Built Form’ and ‘Access and Movement.’

It is important to recognise that this collaborative approach aims to understand the community’s aspirations for the future of the area, while also increasing understanding of the planning process and how the UDF will facilitate sustainable development.

Listening to the community is vital if we are to implement actions that reflect their wishes and this process is one of the best ways I can remember Council engaging with the community.

I look forward to seeing the collaborative work unfold in the months ahead, with the new UDF expected to be presented to the community panel for endorsement before being brought to Council for adoption in mid-2024.

Cr Peter Murrihy

Brownbill Ward, City of Greater Geelong