A resourceful, resilient, safe community that maintains social equity, environmental responsibility, economic viability, and cultural vitality within a well designed and vibrant city.
Resourceful and Resilient Community
Vision - A resourceful, resilient community that draws on the diversity, skills and expertise of our residents to build a safe community that shows pride in its culture, heritage and lifestyle.
Goal 1 - Strengthen community spirit
Strengthening community spirit through building a supportive, resilient, and interconnected community that works together to make people feel comfortable within their neighbourhood and the wider community.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Encouraging individuals to make connections with their neighbours, street members and their local community groups.
- Building a resourceful community that draws on the diversity, skills, and expertise of its residents.
- Providing grass roots, low cost community events that are accessible by all members of the community - including activities that bring people together.
- Providing opportunities for community members to be part of local clubs and groups.
- Building a community that works in partnership with government, community, and private organisations to achieve real and lasting improvement for all residents.
- Creating life long community learning opportunities that encourage people to learn from each other.
Goal 2 - Value the richness of diversity
Embracing the diversity of cultures and community groups represented within our community and developing champions of social inclusion.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Increasing recognition and involvement of our Traditional Owners, the Bindal and Wulgurukaba people and other members representing our Aboriginal, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander community.
- Promoting social harmony and building awareness of the needs and backgrounds of the many community groups and cultures represented in Townsville.
- Focusing on community events and gatherings that bring the community together to experience and appreciate cultures and social diversity within our community.
- Creating pathways to achieve true involvement and empowerment for all community groups of Townsville to ‘have a voice at the table’.
Goal 3 - To develop a vibrant cultural, and recreational focus
Enhance and embrace the richness and talent of our arts and cultural community, and provide a balanced range of recreational facilities across the city.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Recognising and supporting our local Arts & Culture professionals/groups.
- Providing opportunities for professional development within the Arts & Cultural community.
- Encouraging festivals and events which provide opportunities for creativity and leisure.
- Ensuring planning for community facilities meet community’s needs.
- Managing community and recreation facilities in an accessible and equitable manner.
Goal 4 - Nurture and value families
We have the opportunity to raise our families within a unique lifestyle, and provide our children with a great place to grow up.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Increasing opportunities for families to access development opportunities for their children such as sports, arts, history, traditional culture, schooling and life-long learning.
- Providing opportunities to strengthen and support the diversity of family units.
- Continuing to invest in affordable housing.
- Creating places and spaces where families can connect, meet and play.
- Making Townsville a fun, active and vibrant place to inspire our children and youth.
- Providing quality care and education for our young people.
- Providing reason for our young people to stay and invest into the Townsville community.
Goal 5 - To develop a sense of safety and wellbeing
Build capacity for our community members to feel safe, and optimise healthy life choices and independence.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Participating in local and regional planning with a focus on safe communities .
- Providing a diverse range of ‘safe’ open space and recreation facilities to meet the needs of our diverse community.
- Increasing safe connection options between places and spaces within the community through adequate transport links, and further expansion of bike paths and walkways.
- Creating opportunities to build awareness of the variety of cultures and groups within our community.
- Building a healthy community that is free of public health risks.
Goal 6 - A community that is consulted
Provide inclusive engagement and communication which encourages community participation in local decision-making.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Ensuring that the community is educated and empowered to participate in local decision making.
- Ensuring that key decisions within the Townsville community are based on inclusive engagement with the community.
- Ensuring Council commits to inclusive and effective community engagement to assist in the delivery of high quality local government.
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Sustaining Economic Growth
Vision - Strong and balanced economic growth is fundamental to our city’s way of life.
Goal 1 - Strong and diverse economy
Our community recognises the importance for sustainability of building a strong and diversified economy.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Promoting a cost competitive business environment and welcoming new business investment.
- Pursuing investment, businesses and jobs for the benefit of Townsville and the region.
- Clearly communicating Townsville’s economic ambitions.
Goal 2 - An economy that grows smarter in engaging people and resources
Including people in planning, and expanding our economic development.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Developing infrastructure that supports and stimulates economic development.
- Encouraging the demonstration and uptake of innovative technology.
- Developing, expanding and promoting Townsville’s strengths, competitive advantages and resources.
- Encouraging open communication between stakeholders in Townsville’s development.
Goal 3 - An innovative and highly skilled City
A community that encourages an innovative and entrepreneurial skills base.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Encouraging synergies through physical and virtual clustering.
- Developing a City and region that supports lifelong career and education pathways.
- Promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and outward engagement.
Goal 4 - A community that benefits from and supports Townsville’s economy
Develop, and maintain partnerships that benefit the community.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Building and diversifying Townsville’s lifestyle infrastructure.
- Working with industry to promote Townsville
- Developing an economy that delivers diverse and plentiful employment opportunities.
Goal 5 - A City that sustains and prospers from its environment
Work to preserve the unique qualities of our environment when planning our economic development.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Positioning Townsville to capitalise on sustainable industries.
- Designing urban, rural and natural areas that complement the region’s unique local environment.
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Environmental Sustainability
Vision - Our community recognises, respects and values our natural environment and supports its protection through practical, relevant and responsible solutions. Townsville is also a leader in sustainability for a regional city in the tropics.
Goal 1 - Protect, enhance and retain our Natural environment and urban green spaces
Our community values the importance of retaining, enhancing, and increasing our Natural environment, urban green spaces, and scenic amenity.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Maintaining and rehabilitating where possible bushland, coastal and other natural areas.
- Integrating natural area conservation into planning instruments.
- Conducting tree planting activities.
- Encouraging the use of local native species.
- Encouraging greening of hard surfaces, including roof areas and median strips.
- Maintaining and increasing green space areas within urban areas.
- Encouraging the use of local native species.
- Ensuring key landscapes, views and scenic amenity are maintained and protected through effective planning.
- Providing infrastructure for improved access to these views and landscapes.
Goal 2 - Healthy waterways, wetlands, and Great Barrier Reef
We will proactively work towards actions that will keep out waterways and wetlands clean and healthy.
The Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics World Heritage Areas, RAMSAR wetlands and other areas of significance are protected and enhanced while also remaining accessible for locals and visitors.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Monitoring water quality and ecosystem health of our waterways, wetlands and in-shore marine areas.
- Promotion and implementation of a water sensitive urban design to improve the health of our waterways and natural areas.
- Promotion and implementing an adequate waterway buffer (vegetated) areas.
- Capturing and removing pollutants before entering waterways.
- Continuing to improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants and sewerage infrastructure.
- Partnering with relevant government agencies where appropriate to facilitate improved management, accessibility and awareness.
- Participating in co-management arrangements of these areas where appropriate.
Goal 3 - Retain natural areas for native wildlife, including migratory species
We celebrate the variety of our native wildlife and aim to protect their natural habitat, including migratory species.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
Ensuring that natural areas that provide refuge or habitat for native wildlife, including migratory birds is managed and protected effectively.
Goal 4- Community stewardship of our Natural Environment
Our community understands and takes responsibility for its impact on our local environment, and takes appropriate action to minimise or remediate these impacts.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Implementing community based education and awareness programs around the protection and enhancement of our natural environment.
- Providing opportunities for community involvement through community tree plantings and community water quality monitoring.
- Developing effective products to communicate the values of our environment and what actions individuals may take to help protect it.
Goal 5 - Champions of renewable energy & energy use
Increase the use of renewable energy such as solar, wind and other sources.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Promoting the use of renewable energies and technologies.
- Showcasing renewable energy options and opportunities.
- Collaborating with the energy utility and other relevant stakeholders.
- Fostering sustainable business practices and networks (network clusters).
- Investigating and installing renewable energy generation on Council properties where possible.
Use of climate sensitive urban and building design to enhance water and energy use efficiency, and water quality improvement.
- Advocating for the development of locally appropriate design standards.
- Ensuring planning processes and procedures allow for innovation.
- Promoting local achievements in sustainable urban and building design.
- Promoting the use of water sensitive urban design.
Uses water, energy and other natural resources more efficiently
- Encouraging residential energy and water use efficiency through effective behaviour change programs.
- Showcasing energy and water use efficiency through demonstration sites, learn scapes and the Rowes Bay Sustainability Centre.
- Implementing measures to improve the efficiency of Council operations and buildings.
Goal 6 - Active recycling community
Reduce, reuse or recycle our waste.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Advocating for container deposit legislation to promote recycling.
- Advocating for increased producer responsibility and innovation around packaging.
- Providing effective kerb-side recycling services.
Goal 7 - Proactive community which takes responsibility for the environment
Our community understands and takes responsibility for its impact on our local environment, and takes appropriate action to minimise or remediate these impacts.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Ensuring strategic planning allows for improved public transport options.
- Advocating for improved public transport options.
- Implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions of Councils fleet.
- Promoting the use of electric vehicles.
- Implementing community based education and awareness programs for sustainability.
- Recognising community champions of sustainability.
- Developing effective products to communicate sustainability and what actions individuals may take to help achieve it.
- Where possible provide purchasing preferences for locally grown produce through promotion of community gardens, facilitation of farmers and fresh produce markets and advocating for the introduction of locally grown produce catering policies and restaurant menu’s.
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Well planned and designed built environment
Vision - Our city will be safe and attractive and meet the diverse and changing needs of the community offering a wide choice of housing, leisure, local employment opportunities and associated community and commercial facilities, while preserving the natural and scenic qualities of the landscape.
Goal 1 - Connected, vibrant, and sustainable urban form.
Maintain sustainable and compact urban form. Ensure that neighbourhoods are attractive and diverse and meet the changing needs of the local community.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Concentrating expansion into areas that can be served by high frequency transport.
- Managing the sequence of development so that services are available early on in the life of new communities.
- Ensuring urban expansion is contained to only those areas identified within the urban growth boundary.
- Integrating appropriate types of residential development with other key facilities and services.
- Promoting and enhancing centres to develop as multi-purpose activity centres where residential development can be integrated with it.
- Ensuring centres have a high level of amenity and design in order to make them attractive residential environments.
- Supporting Infill development in areas that are based around existing activity nodes, has access to facilities and services; significant amenity is provided, respects the character of the area, has links to employment and has access to high frequency transport.
- Ensuring there are stronger connections between the Greenfield residential areas and employment nodes to enable a greater degree of self containment.
- Ensuring there is a wide choice of housing which is within close proximity to local employment opportunities, has access to facilities and services, and has access to high frequency transport.
- Promoting responsive urban design to provide a mixture of residential living lifestyles.
Goal 2 - A great city to live in
Ensure the traditional character and identity of the city is enhanced by future development.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Ensuring that new and revitalised neighbourhoods maximise pedestrian and cyclists facilities.
- Protecting the scenic and aesthetic qualities of the landscape.
- Planning outcomes for the city and protecting views such as Castle Hill and Magnetic Island.
- Protecting land identified for future social purposes, such as sporting fields and active recreation areas.
- Developing a 10 year heritage strategy.
- Identifying and conserving heritage and character places.
- Achieving a sustainable balance between urban development and built heritage.
- Developing a variety of educational vehicles to inform the community about Townsville's cultural heritage.
Goal 3 - A lively, diverse and connected city centre
Make Townsville’s City Centre a social gathering point and an attractive, accessible and functional retail destination, which has diverse shopping opportunities and complementary uses.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Actively promoting future growth and investment into the City Centre.
- Ensuring that planning mechanisms are in place to facilitate growth and a diversity of enterprise.
- Identifying existing and future transport linkages and develop public transport and car parking strategies that specifically meet the needs of different users (such as city centre workers and short stay visitors).
- Ensuring movement paths are well connected within the City Centre as well as to surrounding inner and outer suburbs
- Promoting a pedestrian-friendly environment.
- Ensuring new development is high quality and visually attractive, and sympathetic to historic buildings.
- Identifying and protecting areas of high scenic value.
- Seeking to lessen the environmental and ecological impacts associated with new development by ensuring adherence to building guidelines and policies.
- Promoting energy efficient building design.
- Offering a greater housing mix and cater for greater residential diversity.
- Reviewing existing development in under-utilised areas of the City Centre, and provide development options that promote residential growth where appropriate.
Goal 4 - Appropriate provision of infrastructure
Infrastructure is planned to meet the rapid growth demands of Townsville.
Strategy - We can achieve this by:
- Forward Planning to ensure all streams of Infrastructure recognise the future settlement and land use patterns of the city and the rate at which the settlement will develop.
- Incorporating desired standards of service of the community with respect to each infrastructure stream into all of Council’s Planning.
- Developing infrastructure charging plans to ensure affordable infrastructure without excess subsidy from the existing community.
- Ensuring asset management planning to ensure that the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of all council Infrastructure is fully identified and conducted in an efficient manner.
- Ensuring Council’s 10 year financial management planning integrates all Infrastructure and asset management planning and ensures that the proposed infrastructure at the desired service standard is affordable to the community in the long run.
- Ensuring consideration is given to optimising life cycle costing for all new and rehabilitation infrastructure projects.
- Ensuring maintenance and rehabilitation of Infrastructure is delivered in a timely manner to meet pre determined intervention levels that are acceptable to the community.
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