Byron Council planning for the future

RESIDENTS of the Byron Shire are being urged to help shape the future of their community, with the Council’s Draft Community Strategic Plan 2035 now on public exhibition until February 9.

The plan outlines a 10-year vision for the shire, with five key objectives: effective leadership, an inclusive community, a nurtured environment, ethical growth, and connected infrastructure.

Council’s director of corporate and community services, Es Davis, said the plan is a critical document that must be reviewed after each local government election.

“We collect fresh feedback from our community, and this year, we did this via surveys, in-person pop-up stalls around the shire, and workshops,” Davis said.

“As a result of community feedback, we’ve made changes to ways in which we plan to achieve community objectives.

“We’ve also made it clearer how the plan will be carried out by including more detail around who will be involved and how.

“Excerpts from recent community engagement have been included to illustrate the community’s key issues and priorities.

“We’ve also provided information about how we plan to work with traditional owners and a section on disaster resilience to tell the story of recent events which have profoundly impacted the community,” she said.

The plan’s vision statement states, ‘The Byron Shire is a meeting place where people can come together to connect, share, grow, inspire and create positive changes’.

The CSP will feed into the Council’s four-year delivery program and annual operational plan.

“A massive thank you to everyone who gave their time to share big and little ideas for the future of the Shire,” Davis said.

The draft CSP will be on public exhibition until February 9, and residents can provide feedback in person, by phone or by visiting byron.nsw.gov.au/Council/Report-Requests-Feedback/Your-Say/Community-Plan