Place Making Charter to identify and protect Coast’s community of communities

A Place Making Charter which will be used to help the Sunshine Coast retain its unique identity as a ‘community of communities’, was adopted by councillors at today’s Ordinary Meeting of Council.

Statutory and Regional Planning Portfolio Councillor Russell Green said the Place Making Charter will enable council to recognise and maintain the individuality of the Coast’s local communities.

"The Sunshine Coast is growing quite fast, and this pace of change places pressure on the character, look and feel of our local places—the very things that are cherished and loved by the local community and often the reason most of them moved here in the first place," Cr Green said.

"The various consultation opportunities council has had with each individual community has consistently identified the needs to retain this local feel as one of the top priorities.

"The Place Making approach is really about understanding that each town or local area is unique and that individuality needs to be taken into consideration when planning for these areas. It recognises that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work.

"We are actually already doing this in a lot of local areas, but this new charter officially sets the idea into council’s daily planning and operations.

"Through Place Making, council works with the local communities on a broad range of issues from infrastructure to town centre management to community capacity building.

"It will allow council to work with each community to identify and assist in developing those places, facilities and environments to allow them to grow as unique, resilient and vibrant communities.

"The Place Making Charter expresses a strong desire to recognise and maintain the difference between each of our local places.

"It will also ensure council is responsive to locally specific needs and opportunities to ensure communities are able to retain their distinctiveness."

This Place Making methodology will now be introduced more comprehensively into council activities to deliver better outcomes for individual places.

Further reports, including a community engagement strategy, on how the charter will be used on the ground and what it means to how council makes both its planning and financial decisions and how it will impact on the community are still to be considered by council.