Where to next?

WHERE TO NEXT: Deputy mayor Joanne McRae with mayor Reg Kidd and students who participated in the initial rounds of consultation.

21 May 2018

The development of a better range of sport and recreation opportunities, together with new steps to improve Orange’s sense of community, protect the environment, improve roads and enhance local parks, were the top suggestions for the future to come from the wide-ranging ‘Where to Next’ community conversation.

FACE TO FACE : A series of community meetings were held as part of the Where to Next? community conversation.

In a blend of on-line dialogue, pop-up sessions at markets and face-to-face meetings, hundreds of local residents contributed suggestions and voted thousands of times on the ideas of other people.

Details of hundreds of community suggestions have been outlined in two new draft reports, which group the community contributions into themes and topics. The 15 May council meeting voted to put the two reports on display for community comment.

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said he was delighted with the broad range of ideas that have come from the community.

“I’m impressed by the time and effort that so many of local residents have put in to be a part of this conversation,” Cr Reg Kidd said. “The suggestions have been grouped together into a list of themes and joint-topics so they can guide future action.

“The process of a resident making a suggestion is just one part of the process. It’s still up to the council and the whole community to wrestle through with the difficult decision of weighing up competing priorities and finding the money to pay for one of a number of good ideas.”

“The CSP report describes the process when individual ideas and suggestions are funnelled into themes, and developed into big-picture objectives and actions. The task of weighing-up projects against other priorities will see some ideas happen and perhaps other others put on the back-burner.”

The suggestions have been assembled under four big-pictures themes : Live, Preserve, Prosper and Collaborate.

The Orange community can now make any comment about the draft plans before they are adopted at a future council meeting.

Residents can :

• Complete a quick survey, or
• Leave a comment about any aspect of the draft plan

The deadline for community comments on the new CSP is Tuesday 12 June.

** Read a summary of the key ideas here.

** Find out how suggestions can be translated into concrete actions here.

The following text is a summary of some of the key themes to emerge from the 'Where to Next?' conversation :

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Sport and Recreation

Orange residents were generally happy with the range of sporting and recreational facilities offered in the City. However, there were a number of improvements or additions to the current offerings identified in each of the sessions. More broadly, the attraction of regional and state carnivals and events is seen to be an opportunity, and suitable facilities are required to host these.

The swimming pool is a valued asset, however, the cost of entry and learn-to-swim classes may create an obstacle for members of the community. Some concessions are sought, especially for the schools providing the life skill of swimming.

Residents would like to see additional water-based recreational activities around the lake, dams and creeks with supporting infrastructure such as toilets and BBQs.

Cycling is growing in importance and while residents are happy with cycle and walking paths throughout the City, they would like to see them expanded and maintained. Further, development of mountain biking and cycling tourism was important.

Community

Residents love the Orange community and would like to see tolerance and acceptance for all people.

It was suggested that a welcoming committee be developed for new residents that could provide information on the range of services that are available within the community. Better access and inclusion for people with a disability, aged care, palliative care and a youth hub, were offered as suggestions to improve the City.

The villages of Orange were also represented during the engagement and they seek protection of their community’s way of life.

Interest and participation in community groups appears to be waning. There were suggestions that Council could provide more support to community organisations to help them with their management and projects.

Roads and Transport

The comments and ideas on the topic of roads focused on two main issues.

The first focused on transport within Orange. This included suggestions to increase the frequency of public transport services (particularly buses to and from the hospital precinct the and the CBD). There were calls for the general improvement of the quality of the city’s roads as well as more work on pothole repairs, and signs of a lack of community understanding of newer traffic devices such as blisters.

The second area focused on the connection of Orange to the surrounding regions and Sydney. Many residents continue to express concern at the condition of the northern bypass and identify the completion of the southern feeder road as a priority. Residents have called for significant improvements to key access roads to Sydney, predominantly the Bells Line of Road. Residents also asked for better rail access to Sydney, either through an extension of the ‘Bathurst Bullet’ to Orange or a more convenient daily XPT service.

Parks and Open Spaces

The parks of Orange are important and valued by the residents and their importance should be recognised with appropriate maintenance and ongoing upgrades.

The value of green spaces is and should be recognised in the community, with parks, wetlands and open spaces included in the planning process and incorporated into new estates. The trees in the streets are a feature of Orange and should be preserved.

Environment

The environment and sustainability are important to the Orange community.

Residents provided many positive comments around the City’s green spaces, use of the attractive natural environment, wetland areas attracting wildlife, and stormwater treatment schemes. There is increasing support for Council to encourage greater social responsibility in respect of the environment, including installation of solar panels on all major council and community buildings, promoting less single-use plastics, banning plastic shopping bags and considering the use of electric/ hybrid vehicles for Council’s fleet. There is a general push for educating the community to be more environmentally aware and accountable for actions impacting our beautiful city.

Employment, Education and Training

The community contributed a number of positive comments around the quality of education and training on offer in Orange.

Residents requested a wider range of courses at CSU, and the possibility of a new school to support the growing North Orange area. There were also many ideas around how to improve employment and training opportunities in the area, including providing transition programs for school leavers and migrants settling in town. Residents also suggested that Council could advocate for lower or subsidised commercial rents and a campaign to encourage light industry /small manufacturing companies to move from high-cost metropolitan areas to Orange.

Retail

Participants identified a range of brands or types of shops that could be attracted to Orange.

The loss of Myer was noted and a replacement tenant for this prime location is seen as critical. Respondents commented on the need for increased shops at North Orange (although some respondents were against this) as well as in other neighbourhood retail growth in established parts of Orange.

Communication

Communication between Council and the community was seen as important with participants highlighting the need for continual, up-to-date and relevant information being available to the community.

Internal communication within Council was highlighted to ensure that all departments are aware of projects. There was support for council to explore new approaches to allow greater levels of engagement and shared decision-making between council and the community, such as has happened in other communities.

Communication from the community was also noted, with a need to ensure that events, activities and programs that are run in Orange are communicated among other residents.

Planning & Development

Participants provided a range of different feedback about planning,

DA approval, growth, urban infill expansion, green-fields development, appropriate land use planning and commercial space.

Waste Collection

A range of different opinions were provided with some people wanting more collection, less collection and different types of collection.

There was significant commentary on bulky waste collection with residents wanting this service to be reinstated.

Cultural

Commentary around Orange’s cultural facilities was largely positive.

The Museum, Art Gallery, Library and Theatre are highly rated. There were comments around the maintenance and possible upgrading of ageing facilities to ensure that they meet community needs into the future, as well as the addition of new facilities such as the Conservatorium of Music and the Planetarium.

Tourism

Food and Wine festivals are viewed as important by the community however some of the events are seen as unaffordable.

Some participants would like events not related to food and wine, such as music and sports. The cycling and grey nomad visitors were also seen as potentially important and should be an area of focus for Council’s tourism activities.

Paths and Cycling

The paths for walking and cycling round Orange are highly valued and participants would like to see these expanded and maintained into the future. There was some commentary about the tension between cars and bikes and when cycling lanes merge with traffic.

Footpaths

Participants commented on problems with footpaths throughout the city. This include current holes, damage from tree roots, uneven patches and paths that are missing in parts of the city. Of particular concern was accessibility for wheelchairs, motorised vehicles and prams.

CBD

Proposed improvements to the CBD largely had the support of the community.

Suggestions included making the CBD more vibrant especially at night with performance and public art. Making sure the design of any changes incorporated technology options was seen as important, such as available WiFi, smart-parking and data for retailers. Defining a civic space or town centre received some support. The coloured lights in Summer Street are valued and could be updated and expanded. A number of options were floated for the creation of pedestrian malls. Better lighting and more CCTV were identified as improvements to the feeling of safety by residents.

Leadership

Participants were happy with the opportunity to engage with the Council to share in decision-making and would like further occasions to do this. The youth would like a formal process to develop their leadership in the city. Community groups are seeking more opportunities to partner with Council to provide services and programs.

Clean-up & Appearances

Suggestions about cleaning up around the City were provided as part of the feedback. Entrance ways and parts of the CBD were mentioned by participants, as well as suggested campaigns to maintain cleanliness of the lake and Mount Canobolas areas.

Health

Orange has a thriving health sector and the community values both the services and the employment it provides. While health services are largely delivered by the State Government, Orange Council has role in supporting the sector and lobbying for additional services. Palliative care, mental health services, disability services and affordable accommodation options were mentioned during the consultation.

Playgrounds

Various playgrounds around the city were mentioned. More enclosed playgrounds for children with a disability are needed. Upgraded and new playgrounds are also sought by the community. Ensuring that adequate shade and safe facilities are provided is seen as important.

Heritage

The natural, social, cultural and built heritage was discussed and is valued by the community. Ensuring that this is protected in Orange and the villages is seen as a priority.

Disability

Participants raised a range of concerns with regard to supporting people in the community with a disability. This included accessibility to footpaths, buildings and public toilets as well as playgrounds and support services.

Public Toilets

Ensuring that public toilets are available, able to be located, are clean and accessible throughout the city are seen as priorities for the community.

Road Safety

The safety of pedestrian crossings, traffic lights, cyclists on the roads, and youth driving were amongst the comments submitted during the consultation.

Villages

Residents from the surrounding rural villages seek to have their heritage and lifestyle preserved. Rates Participants commented on the cost of rates, rate increases and where the revenue from rates could be spent differently.

Signage

Signage in and around the city could be clearer and improved for both locals and visitors.

Dogs

Dogs are important to the residents of Orange with participants wanting additional off-leash areas and places for dogs at the waterways.

There was interest in developing a more streamlined system of dealing with complaints about barking dogs, including keeping people who have complained in touch with progress. There was also commentary around ensuring that owners cleaned up after their dogs.

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During this final stage of this community conversation, residents can :

• Complete a quick survey, or
• Leave a comment about any aspect of the draft plan

21 May 2018

The Where to Next? community conversation led to hundreds of ideas being collected from the community.

But how do these ideas feed into the process of making a difference in Orange.

Here is an example of how hundreds of very different ideas from the community are then assembled to for the Community Strategic Plan (CSP), and considered to be acted on.

In this case, suggestions from the community about upgrades to sporting facilities, walking paths and recreation areas are summarised under the heading of ‘Sport & Recreation’.

This, in turn, has been funnelled into the ‘Live’ theme which is about creating a ‘healthy, safe and vibrant community’.

The next step involves developing big-picture ‘Objectives’, and then ‘Actions’ that encompass these ideas.

When a specific project is considered which would deliver on these aims, it is considered alongside other priorities for funding as part of the Delivery & Operational Plan.

Once completed, the delivery of this project would be reported on in the Annual Report.

The opportunity to contribute ideas to the Community Strategic Plan has now closed. This article from January 2018 describes earlier progress in the CSP conversation.

CBD OVERHAUL: Many residents are calling for a CBD refurbishment

The opportunity to contribute ideas to the Community Strategic Plan has now closed. This article from November 2017 describes earlier progress in the CSP conversation.

In 2011, Orange City Council held its first community engagement strategy to produce a Community Strategic Plan.

The consultation was called ‘Shaping Orange’ and included a series of ‘community conversations’ across a broad range of local residents – the elderly, youth, women and men, recent migrants, the Aboriginal community and the disabled.

The community was asked to respond to key questions about the future by way of online survey and written feedback forms.

There were over 500 people engaged directly and 380 indirectly.

The information collected was then provided to a research firm to conduct a random telephone survey which had a 95% confidence level of representing the community.

The survey showed that the areas of interest and concern raised in the 'conversations' and 'feedback sheets' were representative of the broader community’s views.

PRIORITIES : The 2012 'Shaping Orange' conversation revealed that the Orange community's top priority for future action was gaining a reliable water supply.

The results of this consultation formed the basis of the objectives and strategies of the CSP that was drafted in 2011 and adopted by the council in 2012.

The plan is reviewed each year and is used to guide the framing of annual budgets.

The opportunity to contribute ideas to the Community Strategic Plan has now closed. This article from November 2017 2018 describes earlier progress in the CSP conversation.

21 November 2017

The last time Orange City Council staged a community-wide conversation about the city’s future, a call for better water security topped the priority-list.

Now, six years later, the dam wall of Suma Park has been raised, the Macquarie Pipeline has been built and Orange’s award-winning stormwater harvesting schemes are providing more water than ever before.

Six years after the 2011-2012 conversation, the council is set to begin another wide-ranging community consultation and Mayor Reg Kidd is urging as many people as possible to have their say.

“Orange City Council wants to find out what the Orange community’s main priorities are, and what locals want to see happening in the future, “ Cr Reg Kidd said.

“We’ll put those priorities into a blue-print plan that will let the council keep its work on-track with what the community expects to happen.”

This blue-print is called a‘Community Strategic Plan’ (CSP).

The CSP describes the ‘high-level’ directions the community wants to explore, and then sets topic-area objectives and individual strategies for the incoming council (and future councils)to work towards over the next ten years.

Orange City Council arranged its first CSP planning conversation in 2011-2012, and the consultation which will begin later this month will be the 2^nd time a plan has been developed.

“People can raise whatever questions they want about the sort of community they want to live in,” Mayor Reg Kidd said, “but some ideas will be more able to be delivered by the local council than others.”

“Last time there was also a clear call from the people of Orange for ‘Improved medical facilities and services’ to build on the work of the new hospital that had just opened.

“While health is largely up to the NSW Government to deliver, local councils can play a behind the scenes role. However it happened, six years later the plan for a new private hospital is making progress and a proposed new planning agreement for the project is up for comment.”

“The community’s needs and wants will change over time, and so it’s important they speak up again to talk together now about what’s they want to see happen.”

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