Ten months after Pomona was endorsed as the pilot location of a placemaking project, Noosa Council this month presented a report to its public meetings on the outcome of community consultation that attracted input from more than 500 people engaged in activities and 250 who completed a survey.
The results showed respondents want to retain Pomona as it is for its heritage, small-town charm, natural environment and close and caring community.
They love its vibrant creative hub and support its locally-owned and operated businesses.
There were a number of areas of improvement identified during the consultation.
People want more footpaths and crosswalks to make it easier and safer to get around. They’d like improved and more diverse recreation spaces and more opportunities for young people with ideas mooted for music events and a skate park.
Managing the impacts of heavy vehicles and restricting the movement of trucks through the town was also raised.
Council engaged Cred and Archipelago in June to assist the council project team to design and deliver the Pomona Place pilot aimed at delivering “sustainable social, economic and environmental benefits through place-based partnerships and program interventions customised to a specific location and the needs of its different communities“.
The report says the place-based approach “must truly reflect the uniqueness of different localities and communities“ and involve “looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space in order to discover the needs and aspirations of those people and to create a common vision for that place“.
Cr Karen Finzel said the report presented a good reflection of the town she had lived in since the 1980s.
Cr Tom Wegener said the consultation delivered information on the “real expectations“ of the community.
He questioned what was within council jurisdiction and budget to provide and what, including population increases, would be determined by higher government decisions or private ownership.
Next steps for the Pomona place project include making the community consultation report publicly available on council’s website at Your Say Noosa and the creation of a draft Pomona place plan in partnership with the community and action plan early next year.
Staff said they would be looking to implement some “quick win projects“ such as tree planting and public seating, small activations projects or events identified from community feedback.
Once the drafting of Pomona Place Plan is finalised it will undergo a final round of community consultation in April/May 2024 before being presented to council for final endorsement Mid 2024, staff said.
Part of the pilot process will include an ongoing monitoring and evaluation process for the Place Plan as well as the provision of recommendations to inform the placemaking process should it be rolled out across the shire.
