Liveability: A Double-Edged Sword?

We are blessed in the Bellingen Shire with exceptional liveability. Liveability, or quality of life and living standards can be measured in many ways, including: perceptions of safety; health; income; education; access to housing and employment; the quality of the natural and built environment; social harmony and community trust.

Because our liveability is an asset, our Shire is in high demand for people wanting to live in our area. How we accommodate people in the Shire into the future will impact upon who has access to our lifestyle benefits. For example, if we fail to accommodate for certain groups (e.g. younger people, low-moderate income earners or farmers), then we are at risk of losing our diversity, our strong community links and all the opportunities and skills that different people bring to the table.

In a submission to Council for the Homes for Our Future project, a resident of the Valley, reiterates the importance of a diverse population and the benefits of different ideas and cultures:

“We need to look at options that create diversity – one of the key features of the character of Bellingen. Hippies/farmers/young families/elderly/surf culture/alternative all co-existing. I moved from Sydney 15 years ago – my eldest child said the main difference at school was the tolerance of each other and this flows to the whole feel of the community. Therefore we need to avoid monoculture and this means providing options other than those driven only by market forces”

Achieving all the things people want in an area, like jobs, affordable housing, environmental protection and social justice, is not easy and requires good planning. It is not fair if an area becomes more affluent at the expense of a less wealthy group or if an area grows at the expense of an irreplaceable natural asset. How do we attract new people and ideas and avoid population decline whilst retaining our liveability and community diversity? There are complex problems facing our Shire that require robust conversations and a range of approaches to address our challenges.

A Growth Management Strategy (GMS) can help us. A good GMS will be a shared plan for our future, outlining our priorities and aspirations. We want your thoughts on how we can evolve in a way that benefits everyone.

Preparing a strategy for our whole community is not easy as there is a huge diversity of opinion.  Everyone has a different story to tell and Council wants to hear your story. To have your say on the new Growth Management Strategy for Bellingen Shire, call Council on 6655 7300 or visit Council’s Create Community Engagement Hub at https://create.bellingen.nsw.gov.au/