Highfields plan

WHILE tabling the 2017/2018 Toowoomba Regional Council budget, Mayor Paul Antonio stated that, “Our task as a local government is to provide the community’s essential services in an economically responsible manner”.

The money spent on developing the Draft Highfields Cultural Precinct Master Plan has been far from economically responsible.

A great deal of money would have been spent on the consultant firm and various publications. However, little to no consultation by the council has resulted in a plan that has rightly received a large amount of negative feedback from residents.

Without doubt, a more effective consultation process with residents would have resulted in a plan that the community would have welcomed and, therefore, been economically responsible.

The council’s Community Engagement Policy states that, “The objective of this engagement is to partner with the public in each aspect of the matter and including the development of alternatives and the identification of the preferred solution”.

The council has not adhered to its own policy in the development of this plan. Those in the council who are responsible for this must be made accountable. Mistakes have been made. However, for a good outcome to be achieved the current plan must be scrapped and the council policy on community engagement must be adhered to in developing a new plan.

Stage one of this plan includes the acquisition of up to 15 homes (who still have not had direct communication from the council), proposed major changes to the local road network (including a road between Mary MacKillop Catholic College and local sporting fields that the students access each day), increased residential densities, loss of sporting facilities, additional traffic, the destruction of part of the community owned and culturally significant Charles and Motee Rogers Bushland Reserve and remnant vegetation on Clarke Rd, and the reduction in house prices in the affected areas.

Residents of Highfields and the surrounding district are greatly concerned about these ramifications on their current lifestyles.

Mr Antonio also stated in his budget speech, “That the quality of life on offer here is second to none… and at the end of the day is what really matters to each and everyone one of us”.

For this quality of life to be maintained, the council needs to improve their consultation processes with residents.

Public submissions regarding the Draft Highfields Cultural Precinct Master Plan ends on July 7. An online petition is also being run on behalf of residents at http://www.trevorwatts mp.com/hooh.

Residents are strongly encouraged to have their say on the plan.

Mr Antonio stated that, “We as a council take the discussions and decisions that we make very seriously”.

The council must ensure that that the public submissions are effectively analysed so they can make a serious decision. More effective consultation with the residents they represent must also occur in the future. — STEPHEN COREN, Highfields