Conargo Shire Village Masterplans
Client: Conargo Shire Council
Status: Masterplans completed March 2014. Staged installation of all village signs completed 2017
Status: Masterplans completed March 2014. Staged installation of all village signs completed 2017
A fundamental shift towards a positive future
When we started working with Conargo Shire Council in 2009, they already had a clear vision for their villages. They wanted positive futures for each of their communities. The overall project goal was to increase visitor numbers and, in time, grow the local population. Councillors and staff were also very clear that the project outcomes for each village were to be driven the community themselves
.
A long-term plan for the future of each village
The project process considered social, environmental and economic and, to some extents, spiritual, aspects of village life. We worked with community members, councillors and staff to understand what was special about each village, the challenges they’re facing and what they would like to see in the future. Each Masterplan proposes a future which aims to reverse the current trends of decline. Some of most aspirational ideas came from the kids, and their enthusiasm positively influenced the adults in our community workshops.
Great outcomes for residents and visitors
Each Village Masterplan was crafted specifically in response to community input, available resourcing and opportunities to encourage and support local businesses. The projects outlined in the Masterplans included on-the-ground improvements such as, playground upgrades, paths to connect existing assets and street tree planting. Community capacity building initiatives and interpretation opportunities were also incorporated into the project actions.
The first footpaths in the Shire
The Masterplans incorporated Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP) requirements and we were as excited as the residents when the first footpaths were constructed. Blighty, Booroorban, Conargo, Mayrung, Pretty Pine and Wanganella all had excellent community halls already. For a rural Shire with a vast road network to maintain, Conargo Shire Council’s commitment to also providing great community facilities in each of their villages was remarkable. The footpaths helped to connect existing assets and we received reports almost immediately of visitors seen ‘wandering around, reading the signage and exploring the village’.
This project was completed by LMLA prior to merger with Thomson Hay Landscape Architects
When we started working with Conargo Shire Council in 2009, they already had a clear vision for their villages. They wanted positive futures for each of their communities. The overall project goal was to increase visitor numbers and, in time, grow the local population. Councillors and staff were also very clear that the project outcomes for each village were to be driven the community themselves
.
A long-term plan for the future of each village
The project process considered social, environmental and economic and, to some extents, spiritual, aspects of village life. We worked with community members, councillors and staff to understand what was special about each village, the challenges they’re facing and what they would like to see in the future. Each Masterplan proposes a future which aims to reverse the current trends of decline. Some of most aspirational ideas came from the kids, and their enthusiasm positively influenced the adults in our community workshops.
Great outcomes for residents and visitors
Each Village Masterplan was crafted specifically in response to community input, available resourcing and opportunities to encourage and support local businesses. The projects outlined in the Masterplans included on-the-ground improvements such as, playground upgrades, paths to connect existing assets and street tree planting. Community capacity building initiatives and interpretation opportunities were also incorporated into the project actions.
The first footpaths in the Shire
The Masterplans incorporated Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan (PAMP) requirements and we were as excited as the residents when the first footpaths were constructed. Blighty, Booroorban, Conargo, Mayrung, Pretty Pine and Wanganella all had excellent community halls already. For a rural Shire with a vast road network to maintain, Conargo Shire Council’s commitment to also providing great community facilities in each of their villages was remarkable. The footpaths helped to connect existing assets and we received reports almost immediately of visitors seen ‘wandering around, reading the signage and exploring the village’.
This project was completed by LMLA prior to merger with Thomson Hay Landscape Architects