The draft small villages pedestrian access and mobility plan will go on public exhibition early next year.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council endorsed the decision at its December 14 meeting.
In 2015 council adopted a pedestrian access and mobility plan for its main urban areas in the local government area.
These areas included, Port Macquarie east, Settlement City precinct, town centres of Port Macquarie, Wauchope and Laurieton, village centres of Lake Cathie, Bonny Hills, Kendall, Kew and North Haven.
The current small villages PAMP covers a further five urban areas including Beechwood, Comboyne, Long Flat, North Shore and Telegraph Point.
The specific objectives of the small villages PAMP are to, provide a planning framework for the necessary infrastructure to provide for a safer and more comfortable walking environment; improve the level of pedestrian access in urban locations; reduce pedestrian access severance by providing safe and convenient crossing opportunities of major roads; identify infrastructure works that can be implemented as part of council’s future delivery and operational plans; and, provide a focus for council to source funds from other levels of government.
And at least councillor will keenly support the access and mobility plan.
“Nothing excites me more than to talk about pedestrian access and a mobility plan,” said Cr Peter Alley.
“We need to get pathways in our community and I look forward, somewhere down the track, where we can talk about actual construction.
“But I must raise the matter of the use of the world ‘small’.”
Cr Lisa Intemann concurred adding: “We need a new definition of hamlet, perhaps,” she added.
About 45 community members attended a series of engagement and consultation meetings at the five small village centres during October.
The workshops were used to listen to the community that utilises footpaths and pedestrian networks in their own areas.
The workshops will be used to assist council in developing a plan that addresses the barriers to people getting around, and ensure better pedestrian infrastructure is provided at critical locations.
The draft small villages pedestrian access and mobility plan is on exhibition from January 16, 2017 until February 24, 2017.
