Where to Next? Did we get it right?

June 6, 2018.

So far nearly 600 people have visited the Your Say Orange website to read about the plan, since it was put on exhibition three weeks ago, and of those, 40 people have completed a survey or made a comment.

The development of the plan started late last year, when Council began a conversation called Where to Next? with residents.

Council asked residents about what they love about Orange, what they would like to improve and how they think the future should look.

Hundreds of people contributed thousands of ideas and all of those ideas were put together to form the draft Community Strategic Plan (CSP).

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said the CSP was the most important planning document a Council could create.

“It forms the basis of major decisions of the Council for the next ten years,” Cr Kidd said.

“Everything we do must come back to the priorities set out by the community, in the form of the CSP.

“We are urging the community to take this chance to tell us if we got it right.”

The Where to Next? conversation revealed a list of priorities including a better range of sport and recreation opportunities, an upgraded and more vibrant central business district, together with new steps to improve Orange’s sense of community, protect the environment, improve roads and enhance local parks.

“This plan is about higher-order themes and priorities,” Cr Kidd said.

“It’s great people come to Council and tell us about a specific footpath that they believe might need an upgrade, or a problem tree in the street, we certainly want to hear from the community, in general, about these types of things.

“But the CSP is not the place for specifics. It’s about setting our long-term priorities.

“We need you to go to the website, have a read, fill out a survey or make a comment and tell us if you think we heard what you told us.”

The deadline for feedback on the CSP is June 12.

Submission can also be made via email at council@nsw.gov.au and in writing.