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Tweed Shire Council is seeking feedback from Pottsville residents following the release of a draft masterplan for six key open spaces in the much-loved coastal town.
A series of community information sessions will be held in Pottsville over coming weeks, providing an opportunity for residents to discuss their vision for the town and provide feedback on the masterplan.
The community information sessions will be held at:
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Koala Beach Sports Field (soccer fields) – Saturday 19 August from 8.30 am – 12.30 pm (giant lawn games to play)
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Pottsville Beach Markets - Sunday 20 August from 7.30 am – 1 pm
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Pottsville Beach Markets - Sunday 3 September from 7.30 am – 1 pm
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Pottsville Oval - Saturday 16 September from 10 am – 2 pm (giant lawn games to play).
An online survey and printed copies of the surveys are also available for residents unable to attend the face-to-face sessions.
Council Manager Parks and Active Communities Murray Smith urged the community to provide their feedback on the masterplan.
“Our draft masterplan plan aims to unite community priorities and create well-connected spaces that are accessible to everyone,” Mr Smith said.
“The principles that guided the draft masterplan were informed by community feedback and include environment, culture and community.
"The community has told us that open space and village heritage are highly valued. We have also considered the operations of existing stakeholders in these spaces on our journey to find the right fit that meets the needs of the entire community now and into the future.
“We encourage the community to get involved and have their say on our draft masterplan by either attending one of the community information sessions or completing an online survey. This feedback will be used to inform the final plan.”
Published on Council’s Your Say Tweed page, the masterplan follows extensive consultation with the community in July and August 2022, when Council invited initial feedback from residents, businesses, early learning centres and schools. Community consultation also took place with children and youth.
The consultation focused on six key open spaces in Pottsville at Pottsville Environment Park, Pottsville RSL Memorial Oval, ANZAC Park, Philip Street Reserve, Hardy Park North and Ambrose Brown Park.
A total of 196 online responses were received, 325 survey postcards completed by Pottsville’s young people and multiple separate submissions, including a designed concept plan from an 11-year-old community participant.
Informed by this feedback, Council commissioned a local landscape architect to design draft concepts for the six key spaces with consideration given to varied community wants and needs as well as the various location constraints such as flooding, drainage and proximity to environmental zones.
Feedback showed the community prioritised improved barbecue and picnic facilities, seating, shade, creek accessibility, viewing platforms, pathways as well as connections to and across the six open spaces. Nature play was also a priority for the community along with the need to improve trails and encourage the community’s use of Pottsville Environment Centre.
Common themes included the multi-use of sites, creating more inclusive spaces and facilities for skating and scootering and investigations for a bike facility. Pedestrian safety was also considered throughout the spaces with the importance of safe road crossings a priority.
Developing a masterplan for Pottsville’s open spaces is a high priority in the Open Space Strategy (2019–2029). Council will need to seek funding to realise the final masterplan and bring the vision to life.
Read the draft masterplan document and complete the online survey, by visiting yoursaytweed.com.au/pottsville or email Tarra Martel on tsc@tweed.nsw.gov.au.
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