In an effort to be more accountable and community minded, Port Stephens Council has taken the unusual step of installing an eclectic mix of panellists to help drive progress for each of its three planning strategies.
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Fourteen community members representing the residential and business sectors will sit on the Medowie Planning Strategy panel, the Raymond Terrace and Heatherbrae Strategy and the Nelson Bay Town Centre and Foreshore Strategy.
They will be joined by the mayor Ryan Palmer and ward councillors in each of the three wards.
Starting in 2019, the panels would meet quarterly and be responsible for overseeing the implementation of strategies for these key growth areas while keeping the council accountable to the community.
Steve Peart, council’s strategy and environment section manager, said that the 14 panellists represented a broad range of passionate community-orientated members.
“We don’t write strategies so they can sit on a shelf,” he said. “It’s important that the key actions identified for our town centres are completed so that we can keep our towns progressing and meet the needs of our growing communities.”
Leading the Medowie team is prominent identity Bob Dein, who has operated a business there for 35 years and lived in the town for 25 years.
Mr Dein said that the Medowie Planning Strategy had plenty going for it and that while it took a number of years to finalise “it’s now a matter of whether the council will follow through and implement its findings”.
“Two of the more immediate issues requiring urgent action include the development of a town centre ring road by extending Peppertree Road and the development of a public parents facility so people don’t have to cross Ferodale Road to access the community centre toilets,” he said.
“Other areas of growth include a bigger health centre similar to the Raymond Terrace super clinic, the introduction of a discount department store, possible a Target Country, and a Service NSW one-stop shop like those in the Terrace and the Bay.”
Mr Dein said that most recent projections had Medowie’s population expanding from 10,000 to 15,000 over the next 15 years, giving rise to new housing estates similar to The Bower.
“Medowie has always been categorised as a satellite town popular with first home buyers, where 90 per cent of the population travel for work,” he said. “We need to create more local jobs.”
The inclusion of business owner Jake Bush on to the Raymond Terrace and Heatherbrae Strategy is sure to reignite an injection of civic pride and ingenuity.
Born and bred in the Terrace, Mr Bush returned after years of living away to the hometown which holds so many happy memories to open his King Street Confectionery store in 2014.
“My memories of living here as a kid was twin river festivals, regattas, Christmas events, rodeos and the town centre was a great hub for the surrounding farming communities,” he said.
“But somewhere along the line the town started to lose its charm … to the point where the business district looks old and tired, with broken street signs, fallen structures and untidy street fronts – all of which seems to be ignored by the community and the council.
“There is a perception that this council is more about the Bay. Unfortunately, we have brown water and black sand.”
Mr Bush said he would like to see a reinstated town chamber or business group.
“A chamber could lobby for change by calling for a more uniformed streetscape, more even road and footpath surfaces and more unlimited car parking stations for the business community closer to the CBD.
“King Street can be promoted as another Morpeth by encouraging artisan type businesses in areas of leathermaking, pottery and the like. A coach drop off zone would also attract visitors.”
Mr Bush said that the area needed more bike and walking paths and that infrastructure, particularly relating to drainage and flooding, should be a priority before population growth.
“The council needs to get serious about a commitment to the lower parts of Raymond Terrace or it would become a waste land,” he said.
Eager to provide his years of business experience into the Nelson Bay Foreshore Strategy is longtime Shoal Bay resident Richard Ware – a member of Tomaree Residents and Ratepayers Association and the Shoal Bay Community Association.
Mr Ware, a prominent opponent to high rise in Nelson Bay, said his vision for the foreshore was one of a seaside tourist town similar to Lorne in Victorian where holidaymakers can ‘relax and unwind ... with its easy Mediterranean feel and charming scenery’.
“It has been reported that 80 per cent of tourists like to holiday here because of the Bay’s relaxed ambience and amphitheatre style environment,” Mr Ware said.
“To destroy that environment with high rise just does not make sense to me. More than 30 years ago the decision was made to move the commercial business district to Salamander Bay, now they want to move it back to Nelson Bay.
“It’s ridiculous some people want to build high rise when we have so many empty units now.”
Mr Ware applauded the recent council work at Apex Park and said that the foreshore was appeasing but could do with a little smarting up.
“At the end of the day we want sensible decisions,” he said.
The full list of panelists:
Medowie
Bob Dein (business), Ben Niland (business), Heather Sharp (resident), Geoffrey Voigt (resident)
Nelson Bay
Nicholas Diemar (business), Robert Taylor (business), Richard Casey (resident), Greg Smith (resident), Richard Ware (resident)
Raymond Terrace and Heatherbrae
Kristine Brown (business), Jake Bush (business), David Davies (resident), Ken Buckingham (resident), Jeffrey Bretag (resident)
