Community has say on city's future

  • 2021-03-11
Business, visitors and residents of Yarra City, including Abbotsford, have jumped at the opportunity to share their vision, aspirations and ideas for the area's future.

A total of 1275 visitors, businesses and residents had a say on Yarra's community vision between the months of November and January. In-person conversations at pop-up locations across Yarra accounted for 44 percent of the tally, while a further 56 percent took the online council website option to contribute.

A City of Yarra spokesperson said the community vision was an important aspect of the project, as it will help guide the council's planning between now and the mid-2030s, as it works through challenges such as a growing population and changing climate.

The chance to speak openly about where the city should be heading was embraced by the 26 to 35-year-old age bracket, which dominated those who actively took part in the process. A further 20 percent was represented by people who were linguistically and culturally diverse.

Flyer printing campaigns have often helped to spread the word about opportunities such as this to have a say on topics that can affect the entire community.

Five themes were raised during the consultation process, including topics such as how to protect the area's diverse community and economy, how to ensure all people are looked after and who should use council assets and buildings.

A panel made up of randomly selected residents will consider the feedback as the city works towards creating the ultimate community vision.