Rural Strategy community exhibition period

WORK is underway on preparing the Rural Strategy for community consultation, with letters going out to a range of landholders over the coming week to explain to specific groups what the implications of the draft strategy are in their particular circumstances.

Letters will be going to landholders in the following categories:

• Tea Gardens and Minimbah aquifer catchments
• Paper subdivisions
• Rural to Village Mt George
• Large Lot residential to Village Bundook
• Village to rural at Newells Creek, Markwell and Bunyah
• Village to environmental at Bulahdelah village high risk flood areas
• Rural to environmental at Wingham peninsula and high-risk flood areas
• Sensitive areas to E4

A range of fact sheets are being developed and online consultation being prepared.

A communications plan will be implemented to ensure the community is aware of the draft strategy and ability to provide feedback, however the approach is centred on ensuring those in the communities most impacted are communicated with directly so we are not reliant on other channels of communication to ensure they are aware.

Barrington Coast Art Trails – The Tanks

The seven submissions which were received have been assessed by the selection panel and will meet (via Zoom) again this week to finalise the selected works for each site.

This is an exciting time for the region to see new Public Art works being created to help drive tourism visitation and improve the liveability of our communities.

Libraries, COVID and the online world

While MidCoast Council libraries have closed their doors during the stay at home period we continue to provide access to and encourage use of our online collection.

We now offer access to over 5,000 front listed ebooks and 2,200 eAudio titles.

The ebook collection grew by almost 20% in 2020/21 and in the same period the eAudio collection grew over 40%.

The library also provides access to independent movies and film through the Kanopy streaming service and to 3,500 eMagazines through the Libby database.

During the closure the Library has suspended its Click n’ Collect service to discourage the community from leaving their homes.

The Library will continue its home library service, under strict Covid-safe conditions.

We see that as providing support to vulnerable and isolated members of the community.

The closure has also given us the time to review some of the collection content at our branches, undertaking the equivalent of a spring clean.

 

By MidCoast Councillor Len ROBERTS