Macedon Ranges council has released its draft Open Space Strategy for public consultation.
The document will provide the strategic direction for the planning, management and delivery of public open space across the shire for the next 10 years.
The strategy will consider the significant landscapes that surround the region’s towns and villages, as well as the social, economic and environmental values of the 900 hectares of public parks, waterways, recreation reserves and bushland, while balancing the needs of the growing communities and changing recreation trends.
The draft document has been in the works since late 2021, with input from council staff, external experts and community feedback included in this draft plan from consultation in 2022.
Council said while the draft strategy has taken longer than expected, it has helped form a strong, well-informed plan.
The draft strategy was endorsed for community consultation at the September 24 council meeting, and Cr Jennifer Anderson encouraged the Macedon Ranges community to have their say on the plan.
“This is a really important document for our shire because we know our residents value their open space,” she said.
“Open space will mean different things to different people, and although this has been a long time coming, I think it’s a vast improvement on the previous strategy, and it’s more inclusive of the entire community.
“There are certainly things in there at the moment that I think need tweaking, but this is up to the community to provide feedback.”
The current strategy was adopted in 2013, with council saying the lengthy process to develop a new strategy was due to council needing to refine the scope of it to ensure it focuses on a clearer vision and framework for the open space network.
Feedback is open now and will close on Sunday 2 November. The feedback will then be reviewed and any necessary changes will be made to the draft strategy before it will be adopted at a later council meeting.
Details: https://yoursay.mrsc.vic.gov.au/OSS
