IP&R Community Feedback Summary 2025 by Clarence Valley Council

June 2025

Operational Plan

Public Exhibition Period: 24 April until 26 May 2025

Contact Submission Comment

Jeff Smith

Grafton

22 May

Sonya Maley

Iluka

21 May

On behalf of the Grafton Jacaranda Festival, thank you for including the Illuminate Event Funding as a part of this year's budget. Over the past few seasons, this event has become extremely important to the community of Grafton and the wider Clarence Valley.

Benefits include increased tourist stays, community cohesiveness, artistic expression and the opportunity for visitors and locals to share a unique regional experience. Grafton Jacaranda Festival will once again fund a variety of acts to enhance Thursday to Saturday evenings over the three weeks of operation. Illuminate 2024 attracted in excess of 5000 visits over three weekends (with around 3000 in attendance on Opening Night).

Thank you, once again, to the foresight of both staff and Councilors.

Dear Council Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Operational Plan.

While I appreciate Council's recognition of the unique qualities of our smaller towns and villages through the proposed character statements (Strategy CO1.3), I have concerns about their narrow focus.

The current description suggests these statements will be developed specifically to identify economic development and tourism opportunities. This approach seems to miss the deeper essence of what truly defines a community's character. A town's character emerges from what it is today, not just what it could become. True character encompasses indigenous history, local stories, social fabric, emotional connections, architectural heritage, streetscapes, natural surroundings, and the unique lifestyle that residents value.

I would strongly encourage Council to amend Strategy CO1.3 by replacing the word "identify" with "guide" when referring to future development and tourism opportunities. This simple but important change would shift the focus from merely spotting development potential to ensuring that any growth respects and enhances the authentic character that already

Recommended feedback for noting.

Recommend change, under CO1.3 to ‘engage with local towns and villages to understand their community aspirations and ideas to guide economic opportunities and future planning’.

Pru Ensby Maclean

21 May

exists. By taking this more holistic approach, Council can ensure development preserves and celebrates the genuine identity of each community while still supporting sustainable economic progress.

We, the users of the showground, submit this document to respectfully request the council’s attention to the urgent need for updated toilet and shower facilities.

In May 2022, during the renovation of our building "The Clydesdale," the toilets and showers were removed. They were meant to be replaced in a new building on the grounds, as per consultation with David Sutton and Peter Birch. Despite numerous letters sent by patrons and visitors voicing their concerns, the current amenities remain inadequate to meet the needs of users, particularly during events.

Furthermore, our request for these upgrades to be considered in the 2024/2025 council budget was not granted, leaving this critical issue unresolved. After we had been advised that this would be then included in the 2025/206 council budget which it seems that it hasn't. Additionally, we were informed by Peter Birch and David Sutton, both former employees of the Clarence Valley Council (CVC), that a new amenity block would be built and that the CVC had the funds allocated for this purpose. This submission aims to emphasize the necessity of improvements and to propose actionable measures to address this pressing problem.

Sarah Eifermann

The Maclean District Business Chamber welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Operational Plan 2025/2026. Whilst we acknowledge Council’s efforts to deliver services across the Valley, this submission highlights the significant concerns we have regarding transparency, accountability, and the evident disparity in funding and project delivery affecting the Maclean area compared to other towns particularly Grafton.

1. Transparency and Community Engagement Council’s values commit to integrity, engagement, and respect; yet the Draft Plan offers little clarity on prioritisation or progress reporting for key projects in Maclean:

A review of the Open Spaces Strategic Plan and Sports Facilities Plan is currently underway.

Feedback will be sought from facility stakeholder and the broader community. This will identify any service deficiencies and provide a pathway for new amenities at the Showground if they are required. \In the meantime, Council has resolved to provide port-a-loos for identified major events for the current year.

Council reports on progress of delivery program strategies every six-month including an annual plan including all capital works.

Feedback in relation to projects being deferred, unanswered queries and business decision are general in nature without concrete examples to respond to.

Point 2, 3 and 4:

No change recommended in relation to concerns relating to investment in Maclean in contrast to Grafton. Council strategies and plans consider the entire community, as well as available sources of funding, in determining investment decisions. As a key centre, Maclean has and continues to receive significant funding within the region. Projects may be delayed because of project constraints – weather, climatic events, budget etc.

Point 5:

A rate, whether an ordinary rate or a special rate, may, at a

Point 1:

• There is no public‐facing dashboard or quarterly update mechanism to track capital works progress in Maclean.

• Many Maclean projects appear to have been deferred or modified without community consultation or formal notification.

• Businesses and residents repeatedly report unanswered enquiries via Council’s preferred channels, eroding trust and undermining Council’s stated engagement strategy.

• Businesses delay business decisions based on these Plans and often are left wanting as a result of delayed or modified without notice decisions. Whilst we note that operationally some decisions are made on the fly- an as needs basis as per requirements to operational needs- the major ones, with community impact do require transparency in communication and this is not happening.

2. Capital Works Disparity 2.1 Court and Community Facilities

• Maclean Courts: Allocated $1,165,800 in 2025/26 (SIC $300k; S94 $150k; Play Our Way $715,800) – broadly supported by the Chamber.

• Maclean Civic Centre Hall: $12,144,530 in 2025/26 and $3,096,400 in 2026/27. However, plans appear to be changing midcycle, leaving the community uncertain about scope and timing.

Contrast with Grafton:

• Powel Street Reserve and Bishop Druitt Park each receive $100,000 in 2025/26, plus a $60,000 “Learn to Ride” add-on at Jacaranda Park in 2025/26.

• Grafton’s funding for park upgrades outpaces Maclean’s parks program by at least two full project allocations in the same financial year.

3. Local Parks and Recreation

• Maclean Cameron Park: Only $60,000 in 2026/27 for landscaping and shelters, with no playground or community amenities – inexplicably delayed compared to Grafton’s multiple immediate upgrades.

• Townsend Community Hub: Staged budgets of $100,000 (25/26), $2.5 million (27/28), and $2.5 million (28/29), yet design stage is unclear and the potential impact on existing

council’s discretion, consist of

(a) an ad valorem amount (which may, in accordance with section 548, be subject to a minimum amount of the rate), or (b) a base amount to which an ad valorem amount is added.

In the feedback it refers to the higher minimum rate to the base rate despite having less access to essential infrastructure, including public amenities, lighting, and roads maintenance. If Council rates on (a) above the calculation has a minimum rate applied. The minimum rate applies for properties that have a considerably less land value than others and therefore when the calculation is done (i.e. land value x rate in the $), if the answer is less than the minimum charge, the minimum applies. If the answer is greater than the minimum charge, then the ad valorem is charged. It is cheaper to have the minimum rate applied and that is why they have less services etc.

The number of ratepayers in each locality is charged the base amount and the remainder is made up of ad valorem rate i.e. higher land value pays higher rates and lower land value pays lower rates.

Point 6:

No change recommended in relation to economic development and business support as Council doesn’t favour a specific region and aims to work with business in all regions as evidenced by recent business and community events held in Maclean.

Point 7:

The project has recently commenced, with design-only funding allocated in the 2024/25 budget, which will carry over into the next financial year. Contractors have recently been engaged to support the project development and design, focusing on safe crossing points at Woodford and Clarence Streets, as well as potential bus stop options.

Point 8:

Depending on the outcome of the land swap between Property and Development NSW and Clarence Valley Council, Council to consider allocating funding towards the development of the parkland and walkway component of the Maclean Riverside Precinct Plan.

Recommendation Action added for Council to consider.

Lions Club facilities has not been addressed.

4. Flood Mitigation Infrastructure

• Maclean Levee Wall: A “renewal” allocation of $1,306,349 in 2025/26 for a wall that nearly failed in 2022, with no records or communication on remedial works since that incident.

• Grafton Levee Wall: Receives $21,319,236 for renewal in 2025/26 despite no known structural concerns further highlighting inconsistent risk assessment and funding prioritisation. 3. Safety, Lighting Audit, and Crime Prevention

• Outcomes from the Crime Prevention meeting remain overdue; no funding has been allocated for CCTV or lighting upgrades in Maclean’s public spaces, despite repeated requests from local police, businesses, and residents.

• This omission undermines Council’s commitment to a safe community and contradicts Strategic Theme 1: Community – “A community that is safe, connected and inclusive.”

5. Rating Equity and Funding Model

• Out-of-town and coastal areas are subject to higher minimum and base rates despite having less access to essential infrastructure, including public amenities, lighting, and roads maintenance.

• There is no published breakdown clarifying the difference between the minimum rate and base rate or how these funds are allocated regionally.

6. Economic Development and Business Support

• The Draft Plan contains again no targeted actions under Strategic Theme 3: Economy to support Maclean businesses or to address sustainability and growth for small enterprise.

• Absence of any Business Development Strategy or site-specific incentive program for Maclean contradicts Council’s stated goal of “An attractive environment for industry and local businesses to flourish.”

7. Maclean Primary School Bus Zone

• Funding for a dedicated school bus zone was included in the 2024/25 budget but subsequently removed from 2025/26 with no explanation or reallocation details provided.

8. Maclean Riverside Precinct

The Riverside Precinct has not been included in the Operational Plan, despite having been presented to Councillors and representing a project the community has awaited for many years, with no explanation for the delay. Nor is there funding for the proposed land swap and the development of the SES site to accommodate the Fisheries without impacting SES operations.

Conclusion

The Maclean District Business Chamber respectfully submits these concerns for Council’s consideration and calls on Council to meaningfully address the issues raised in this submission and to take clear, demonstrable steps toward greater transparency, accountability, and consistency. We expect greater transparency, equitable funding, and ongoing communication to ensure that Maclean and its surrounding communities receive their fair share of resources and engagement. This is part of the ongoing animosity towards Council and impacts with negative PR which continually reaches outside of the LGA.

This submission is made with the intent to support prudent, transparent, and community-aligned decisionmaking. I am seeking your assurance that any costs incurred by the Council in defending their position on the Van parks does not come out of ratepayer funds. I thank the Council for considering these suggestions and welcome any opportunity for further discussion or community consultation. Please see my full submission attached.

Submission on Holiday Parks expenditure

Dear Council

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Operational Plan 2025-2026. In particular, this submission is in response to the funds allocated for

Point 1:

Holiday parks are self funded by the reserve and legal or capital works infrastructure does not come from rates.

Road maintenance is done according to the Roads Policy.

Point 2:

Recommend change the name of the ‘Business Development Strategy’ to ‘Business Development Plan’ for consistency of naming conventions across Council documents This plan will be developed internally to look at opportunities to further grow visitation at parks.

Point 3:

The $6M Calypso Holiday Park allocation for site redevelopment is marked for 2026/2027 and will be outlined further in the Draft Operational Plan for 2026/2027 – which will be on exhibition in April 2026.

At this time this is the budgeted amount, and further review will

Sonya Maley Iluka

Holiday van parks.

1. According to the draft plan, $2.5 million has been allocated for the construction of 9 holiday cabins ($250000 each) over the next two years at Brooms Head and Iluka Caravan parks. This substantial investment appears to be proceeding in the absence of a completed business development strategy.

2. This strategy is outlined under Strategy EC2.1 in the current operational plan. Notably, this same strategy was scheduled for commencement in the previous year’s operational plan but does not appear to have progressed. In a recent press release dated 7 May 2025 titled: Minns Government supports reforms for stronger and more efficient councils, Minister for Local Government. Ron Hoenig is quoted stating:

‘The ratepayers of NSW deserve assurance their money is being put to good use and that councils are doing all they can to tighten their belts, just like families are doing across the state.”

“Reforms that ensure councils are being efficient with their money and that decisions that financially impact ratepayers are made with them, not for them. This will come from councillors having transparent and digestible information about their council’s financial position, so they can make more informed decisions about what their community needs most.’

In this context, I respectfully ask whether councillors have been provided with the type of due diligence documentation such as a cost-benefit analysis, market research, risk assessments, and return-oninvestment projections that would typically underpin a decision of this magnitude.

Without such information, this project risks being perceived as premature, with strategy following rather than guiding this expenditure. Additionally, there may be alternative approaches that could yield better long-term value for the community. For example, converting semi-permanent sites to permanent long term residential

need to be done through the legal matter

Point 4:

The LGA is 10,400sqm with a small rate base deriving income of $44,458,883. Council is heavily reliant on grant funding to delivery services across the LGA as indicated by Own Source Income in our LTFP, which is below that desired for the State. However, without an SRV to increase rating income for services, this remains a dilemma.

The financial sustainability of local government has long been recognised as a concern and was recently the subject of an independent inquiry to which the government has just responded https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/i nquiry-details.aspx?pk=3040#tabreportsandgovernmentresponses

Council will continue to use its scarce resources efficiently and effectively to ensure fit for purpose service delivery. Service levels will be informed by service review, and any decision to increase rates will be a decision of Council.

leases could generate more consistent income and be of greater benefit to local communities, but again, this should be assessed through a full financial analysis before conclusions are drawn.

With significant debt already incurred for new infrastructure such as the Grafton pool, Treelands drive and the new Maclean community centre perhaps it may be timely that council ‘tighten their belts’. The deteriorating condition of roads across the LGA, for instance, remains a major concern for residents and arguably warrants more immediate attention. It is also concerning to note that $6 million in capital works has been earmarked for “site redevelopment” at the Calypso Holiday Van Park, yet this allocation is not clearly identified or discussed in the Draft Operational Plan.

If public funds are being committed to this initiative, transparency is essential, and a full business case and draft POM should be presented for council and community scrutiny. Lastly, of great concern to myself as a ratepayer is the modest allocation of $38,773 from the Holiday Park reserves (and an additional $21,000 this financial year) for legal expenses. This appears grossly inadequate in light of the current 66 NCAT appeals lodged and likely further court action regarding the decision to evict semi permanent van owners. It is highly likely that the cost Council in defending these actions could be well in excess of the current resources available from the HP reserves should compensation and legal costs be pursued.

Given these concerns, I respectfully suggest that:

1. Council defer the $2.5 million cabin construction investment until a comprehensive business development strategy is completed and reviewed by Councillors. I encourage council to review the financial viability of converting the semi permanent van to long term residential leases to assist with affordable housing options in our coastal towns.

2. A detailed business case be prepared and shared for any proposed redevelopment works at Calypso Holiday Van Park.

3. Funds currently allocated to new infrastructure in the Holiday Parks be reconsidered and reallocated to cover legal contingencies arising from the

Don Morgan Junction Hill

significant volume of current disputes.

4. Greater investment be directed toward road maintenance and other essential services that deliver widespread benefit across the LGA. This submission is made with the intent to support prudent, transparent, and community-aligned decisionmaking. As a ratepayer I am seeking your assurance that any costs incurred by the Council in defending their position on the Van parks does not come out of ratepayer funds. I thank the Council for considering these suggestions and welcome any opportunity for further discussion or community consultation.

Regarding the 2025/2026 rate structure table. The number of properties in Grafton/Junction Hill appears to be incorrectly noted as “795902”. It was only 7937.02 properties in last year’s reporting. Also, and most critically important is that Section 530 (7) of the Local Government Act 1993 requires that if a council decides to make different ordinary rates for residential subcategories, the council must publish the reasons for doing so. Council has different rates applicable for each residential subcategory. It appears that the clarifying information is not contained in the revenue policy of the operational plan as required by the legislation. Given that the rating for Residential E - Grafton, Junction Hill is almost 4 times that of Residential C - Yamba, this information is crucial to ensure transparency and fairness of rating throughout the Clarence valley. It is also mandatory for councils to comply with this requirement pursuant to section 530 (9) of the Local Government Act.

Further to my previous submission regarding the rate structure table in the Clarence Valley Council Operational Plan 2025-2026, I have discovered another important error. This is that the whole table appears to be totally devoid of any decimal points! This needs to be rectified to be reflective of the intent of the information as has been detailed in previous years rate structure tables. Otherwise the cents in the dollar column is a whole number and will not correctly calculate the rate proportionally to the land value.

Decimal points are also missing from figures in the ‘number of properties’ column (I previously mentioned this in

The decimal place was omitted in the table. It was corrected and updated online during the first week on public exhibition as per advice from Office of Local Government. The number was meant to be 7959.02.

Recommend the description of Grafton CBD be amended to read:

Grafton CBD (north side of the river) defined as business properties within the following area – from the river up Mary Street to Bacon Street, down Bacon Street to Queen Street, up Queen Street to Oliver Street, down Oliver Street to Villiers Street, down Villiers Street to Bacon Street, down Bacon Street to Clarence Street and then down Clarence Street to the river. A map showing this CBD boundary is attached, refer Appendix “A”.

Don Morgan Junction Hill

Pru Ensby Maclean

11 May

regard to the Residential E subcategory in my previous submission but must apologise for not picking up the further erroneous omissions at that time). There is also an error in the textual description of the Grafton business area. Villiers Street and Clarence Street run parallel to each other and don’t meet. It should read Villiers to Bacon, to Clarence - for your further investigation. Thank you for the opportunity to submit these findings.

The Maclean Show Society Committee would like to request a review to increase the camping fee at the showground from $15 per night to $20 per night. It has been some time since a price increase, and this adjustment aims to align our rates with other camping destinations and will help with the increasing cost of upkeeping the showground.

Lyle Gilmore Forster

10 May

Regarding Strategy CO3.4 "Investigate management and funding for Nymboida Power Station museum."

I wish to support Council's initiative which will help preserve the history of the power station in the development of industry in the Clarence Valley and to provide a tourist destination. As a volunteer at the neighbouring Canoe Centre I have noticed a high level of interest from tourists visiting the Canoe Centre and from passing motorists.

Similarly, at recent Clarence Camp Oven Festivals accredited CVC staff members have conducted guided tours of the power station. With limited notice on the chosen days, an average of 90 people have attended. At the Centenary celebration in November 2024, with limited guest invitations, about 120 people took the opportunity to join guided tours. Many of these people, including members from Snowy Mountain Engineering Coporation (SMEC), supported the suggestion that the NSW Heritage listed power station should be developed as a museum to record its history and the part it played in the development of the Clarence Valley.

I have recently inspected Waddamana Power Station in Tasmania, a similar facility owned by Hydro Tasmania. Since 1984 it has been continually developed as a museum and it is now one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in central Tasmania. I think that the Nymboida PS project could be developed in two

The fees for camping at the Maclean Showgrounds are $20 in the draft fees and charges. Consider Pru’s feedback in support of this.

Recommend feedback noted for as part of future engagement and planning for the Nymboida Power Station.

Lower Clarence Arts and Crafts Associatio n Maclean

components. Perhaps a Section 355 committee (made up of local citizens, passionate past employees and CVC members) could oversee the development of the project and the implementation of guided tours of the facility. The second action would be the acquisition and presentation of items, information and history for a museum display. I look forward to following, and being involved if that's possible, the project to preserve and display the history of the Nymboida Hydro-electric Power Station.

Most of the Art & Culture actions in the Draft Operational Plan 2025/26 are focused on the Grafton Regional Gallery.

Art & Culture are celebrated by many groups and organisations in the CVC LGA. There should be a clear pathway for local Art and Cultural groups to apply to CVC for funding and support eg loan or equipment etc.

Looking at the 4 years rolling capital works program, it would be advantageous to the area if the Ferry Park Precinct was considered in funding for parks and reserves and carpark renewals.

Colin Shephard Yamba

As a matter of utmost urgency, the safety and wellbeing of community members is paramount. I plead with Council to make very close inspections of all council-provided facilities on a much more regular basis. Ongoing maintenance and a concerted view to protecting community members is requested, especially in relation to the safety of pedestrians and others who use our footpath. I now refer specifically to Yamba and seek to have additional funding provided to upgrade and enhance safety features at the following locations in Yamba.

1. The Golding Street / Yamba Road roundabout.

2. The Yamba Road / Carrs Drive roundabout.

Terence Hudson To CVC and Councillors, Firstly is this naming of this policy confusing ????, so is it the "Operational Plan and Budget", yet when you go to your submission page it only has "Integrated Planning and Reporting" why do you confuse the public ?? Then when you read the downloaded version of the Operational Plan.... in the index it has

Recommend noting feedback as captured under: SO3 Art and culture are celebrated, and historical assets preserved.

The action under the Operational Plan to ‘Deliver the 2025/26 Grafton Regional Gallery Artistic Program’, is primarily funded through a grant under the Create NSW funding specifically related to the Grafton Regional Gallery operations.

Significant investment in the Maclean Cultural Precinct and the Gallery and Arts Spaces at the Yamba Library and Community Centre provide two new opportunities for activation of arts and culture within the Lower Clarence and create new opportunities to seek grant funding within the arts space.

Recommend reviewing the Community Initiatives Program policy (donations) to ensure it captures all community programs, including within the arts and cultural space.

Ferry Park Car park can be considered in future years capital works plans and will consider asset condition and use in relation to other locations.

Recommend noting feedback. Under IN4 Footpaths and cycleways that are interconnected, maintained and reach destination, Council continues to progress actions out of the endorsed Active Transport Strategy. This strategy identifies the opportunities for new and improve footpaths and allocates a priority score.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to the communication of documents on public consultation.

The decimal place was omitted in the table. It was corrected and updated online during the first week on public exhibition as per advice from Office of Local Government.

no page numbers, to go to, nor are the pages numbered. ???

There are mistakes and missing information in this document, firstly the Rate Structure is again hidden away under the Revenue Policy, so the public have to hunt for it again, one will notice that the cents in the dollar , ( that is the differential rate) is misleading as it has NO DECIMAL POINTS, i have complained about this but it has fallen on ignoring ears ! This complaint was made aware to Department of Local Government, but they assumed no responsibility ! Also again this Rate Structure has no alternatives, so what choices do we the ratepayers or councillors have...NONE ? *Also there are no maps in the Appendix A, for the Residential zones, such as Residential Tyndale etc,..plus rural residential areas.

Residential A

Residential B

Residential C

Residential E

Residential D doesn't exist

And why was Junction Hill included in Grafton....without South Grafton. And why didn't Maclean then include Harwood. And why is Gulmarrad different to Junction Hill or Ulmarra or Lawrence etc, no one in council has been able to explain this DISCRIMINATION between our ratepayers and community to us. The staff seems to have been gagged or they really don't know either ? I'd say it would be wise to correct this decimal omission error and also the misleading charge rate in your current Rate notices. And advertise the corrected Draft ,again. Or will this be ignored as the staff seem to assume that our councillors will just give the tick of approval to documents they don't understand or even study properly.

Now coming back to the Operational Plan, under^Revenue Policy.... it says " ensures fair and equitable levying rate and charge" this is not true. infrastructure Floodplains and Drainage, ...is that the necessary drainage that was promised by this council in the reign of the manager (Ashley Lindsey) and the Mayor (Jim Simmons), now our places, flood even more !??

And in *Action....Engage with local towns and villages to understand their

community aspirations when ??

*Footpaths and cycleways that are interconnected, maintained and reach destinations So where are the plans for those necessary additions of Yamba... to Palmers Island, James Creek, Harwood, Maclean, Gulmarad, or do we just watch the improvements continually to Grafton .

*Roads related Issues., StrategyIN 1.3

Deliver the level of service where's the flood free access to Yamba, hey this town has only one way in and out and now has around the same population as Byron Bay, where's your fowarding planning, where's the alternatives, or will this CVC keep feathering its Grafton and Maclean towns, while Yamba struggles with traffic and access.?

"REVIEW overland flood studies and develope a stormwater upgrade program" sounds great but when ????? Can't this council see what's happen even now, wake up CVC.

" INTERGRATE Active Transport Strategy objectives in new project planning when, why now, bit late ???

"Support contractors in the operations of the Clarence Coast Holiday Parks....these parks can afford to support themselves ! *

0bjectiveEC4....TELECOMMUNICATI

ONS that adequately services the community advocate for equity for mobile and broadband services, etc well the reception for voice calls in James Creek is very poor since 3g to 4g with all carriers from the Maclean hill tower, would the manager advocate for help with that, seeing the new approved subdivisions starting here, ???

*Strategy EN3.2 PLAN of Management, re Holiday Parks good idea bit late after all the fiasco !!!!

Strategy LE2.2 (Read this council and councillors )ENSURE REVENUE RAISING IS

EQUITABLE Strategy LE3.3

SUPPORT AND EQUIP COUNCILLORS AS ' BRAND AMBASSADORS 1 Yes come on Mayor and Councillors get yoursrlves out there, over the whole shire regularly....and on the media informing your consituents of what's happening and what your doing...not your "Opinions " thanks !

*Strategy LE4.1 Engage with the community to inform decision making

yes improve your web site and advertise properly, include literature with your rate notices, the local newspaper in Yamba is a dud now due to its cost and its costs to advertise, hopefully a new one will start up, council needs more info hubs in towns and council foyers and libraries.

This also includes Strategy LE4.2 CVC

PLEASE IMPROVE YOU WEBSITE AND NEWS LETTER, help the people also who are not internet users.

*Strategy LE4.5

Give more time and a relaxed atmosphere for public forums, be humble and compassionate to your community, set aside a convenient time for them not CVC to do this properly.

*Strategy LE5.3 Complete a Property and Rating system upgrade yes., yes..yes and please one that is not DISCRIMINATORY , and is fair and equitable.

*Strategy LE5.5 Complaints, yes this needs improving, not denial and bad responses. Act on misconduct by certain councillors. And also staff comments to the public. And please respond !

*Now re WATER CVC WIDE water meter replacements, or Renewls, why when allot of these meters are functioning properly, or is CVC going to smart meters $160,000 more detail please.???

*Now with your Ad Valorem ( On the Value )Rate come on set a standard like all other councils a dollar rate.... stop confusing councillors and the community oh and don't for get the DECIMAL POINT !!!!!

*OH ALSO, here's more discrimination. Yamba, Maclea,Townsend Residential categories, etc where the rest for this small base rate increase of only $8 , yet "Outside town areas" has gone up $21, why that extra rip off ????

*And the Stormwater Management charge of $25 being managed properly in Yamba. Do you need recent photos when Yamba had 146 mmthe other day, or do you have them bet you don't !!

Dissatisfied and disappointed.

Helen The HPEUG are asking for the road to be completed, and for a covered Recommend

Ward

Glenugie

arena in the longer term. If you want words to copy (less than 250 words so you can just drop in): Hawthorne Park is the only dedicated equestrian facility in the Clarence Valley. It is shared by 10 equestrian clubs, representing a large proportion of the Valleys rural community. A part of the community which does not benefit from the usual parks and open spaces facilities. This facility in 2024 hosted the National Stock Horse Youth Show, and in 2025 will host the State Pony Club dressage and show riding championships (as well as a large variety of local and regional events). These events draw competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy. The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places. This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road. We also ask for consideration to allocation of $500,000 for a covered arena to support the CV’s bids to host regional training camps for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, and to support local rural communities to keep livestock fit during prolonged wet weather.

Podbevse k Tucabia

Eatonville

as volunteers of the Hawthorne park users we would like to ensure that funding has been allocated for the general maintenance and upkeep of the grounds at the moment. Our clubs meet constant road blocks from council advising there’s no funding allocated for Hawthorne Park. These grounds are integral part of our agricultural community across northern New South Wales And at this stage, we can’t even have our camping areas mowed by the council.

for future operational plans.

In 2023/2024 there was an allocation of $100k – Design and Construct – per masterplan. This project was completed with upgrade work on the internal road.

In 2024/2025 allocation was removed as there were several projects recently completed including:

- $243,432 New LED lights

- $21,000 aluminium grandstand

- $283,798 arena one drainage.

Future works consistent with the masterplan can be considered when funding becomes available.

Council mows Hawthorne Rodeo Park twice annually and has a grazing lease agreement in place to assist with the ongoing maintenance of the facility.

Ashleigh

Lee Brown

Rosemary Huntley Coutts Crossing

Ben Newton South Grafton

events). These events draw competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy. The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places. This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road. We also ask for consideration to allocation of $500,000 for a covered arena to support the CV’s bids to host regional training camps for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, and to support local rural communities to keep livestock fit during prolonged wet weather.

Seeking money to be allocated to Hawthorne Park for extra upgrades and maintenance

Hawthorne Park is the only dedicated equestrian facility in the Clarence Valley. It is shared by 10 equestrian clubs, representing a large proportion of the Valleys rural community. A part of the community which does not benefit from the usual parks and open spaces facilities. This facility in 2024 hosted the National Stock Horse Youth Show, and in 2025 will host the State Pony Club dressage and show rising championships (as well as a large variety of local and regional events). These events draw competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy. The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places. This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road. We also ask for consideration to allocation of $500,000 for a covered arena to support the CV’s bids to host regional training camps for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, and to support local rural communities to keep livestock fit during prolonged wet weather.

Suzette Kelson

Nana Glen

Linda Makejev Clarenza

Tamara Prentice South Grafton

Hawthorn park desperately needs upgrading

Please allocate money to Hawthorne Park. It could be one of the best equestrian facilities on the North Coast for all user Groups.

Submission to IP&R documents on behalf of Hawthorne Park Summary: Hawthorne Park is the only dedicated equestrian facility in the Clarence Valley. It is shared by 10 equestrian clubs, representing a large proportion of the Valleys rural community. A part of the community which does not benefit from the usual parks and open spaces facilities. This facility in 2024 hosted the National Stock Horse Youth Show, and in 2025 will host the State Pony Club dressage and show rising championships (as well as a large variety of local and regional events). These events draw

competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy. The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places. This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road. We also ask for consideration to allocation of $500,000 for a covered arena to support the CV’s bids to host regional training camps for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, and to support local rural communities to keep livestock fit during prolonged wet weather. Financial struggles: Other CV facilities for the equestrian community have become shared with other uses which have ultimately led to them being unusable for regional, State and larger local events. Eg Maclean showgrounds introduced camping to fund basic maintenance, and is now generally unavailable for Pony Club leading to that club becoming non-functional. Grafton Showgrounds share with the raceway, the debris from cars being dangerous for horses, it also does not have the dressage arenas required for multifunctional horse events. Hawthorne however is not maintained to even a basic level by Council.

Volunteers have been applying for grants, running working bees and undertaking general maintenance such as washer replacement in taps, mowing and screwing up fallen timbers. Various responses from Council staff advise the operational budget is discretionary and Hawthorne is not included in budgets for maintenance. We therefore make the following submission to the IP&R framework: Draft delivery Program 25/26 to 28/29 The draft Delivery Program does not include at face value maintenance of existing parks and reserves. There is no reference to Park maintenance in the Infrastructure Strategic Theme, despite 'Infrastructure that supports community connection' being a strategy in the plan. It does refer to "Sustainably develop and manage the CV Visitor Economy by delivering the Destination Management Plan" which can be read to include the development of Hawthorne Park, however does not extend to

maintenance of parks generally. This Strategy is also allocated to the Communication and Engagement Section, so would not be a deliverable of the Open Spaces section. It is suggested an additional “Strategy” is included in the CSP Objective Well serviced communities with access to essential infrastructure including water, sewerage, public amenities and facilities to reflect the need for open spaces maintenance.

Draft Operational Plan Following from the comments above, the Draft Operational Plan includes a Strategy EC3.3 under the Economy heading to ‘Sustainably develop and manage the CV Visitor Economy by delivering the Destination Management Plan’ and then includes specific promotion activities, however no corresponding action is included to maintain or develop those sports tourism destination facilities. It is suggested an additional Action is included under Objective IN2 to make it clear that this relates to parks and open spaces as well as water, sewer and CBD upgrades. In its current format Draft Operational Plan includes that the CV Destination Management Plan includes Action 4.8 to Support the attraction and continued development of participatory sporting events and advocate for the regional hosting of training camps and sporting events including for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games. Hawthorne Park is a candidate for the hosting of regional training camps for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as the planned and future opportunities to continue to host National and regional sporting events however will require works to remain usable. Currently half the road has been upgraded (thank you to the previous Councillors for requiring staff to do this). The remainder of the road is a pot holed quagmire with people (including Council staff) driving on the grass to avoid the damaged road. This is estimated to be around $100,000 based on the last works to be completed. Further to be competitive for regional Olympic training camps a covered arena would be required. This would additionally provide weather proof opportunities for the local community (who are currently travelling to Casino to keep horses going in the current weather). This activity has been listed as a key need at Hawthorne Park in about 40 years of strategic planning, yet has never become a priority for Council. It is

Lindsay Blanch

estimated this would cost approximately $500,000.

Hawthorn Park South Grafton has received zero funding to the grounds in upkeep again for another year. Leaving the club members Out of pocket as they have to pay themselves, this includes mowing and maintenance to the grounds. Client council are out of touch with the Clarence and have attempted to Hawthorne Park into a caravan site. Which would damage the grounds Requiring more funding that isn’t given ever and dangerous for horses and riders at events going on. Hold on, Pin needs funding in order to hold events that bring money into the local area. Hawthorn Park is one of the biggest equestrian grounds in New South Wales is also the most neglected. Due to plants valley council being so out of touch On what locals actually want and just focus on making themselves money as per usual.

The Clarence 2035 (Community Strategic Plan)

Public Exhibition Period: 21 March – 23 April 2025

Contact Submission

Lisa Iredale Iluka

Thank you for the feed back opportunity on "The 2036 Clarence strategy"

1. Partnership with the community and the council is very important to the community to function in harmony. Does the community have a weighted decision making in the process about communication? The community engagement needs to improve due to disgruntled community feelings with the council. I feel the council needs to openly communicate with the community in a much more informed proposal and attitude. still to have open community forums, council forums, be able to talk to staff and have town hall meetings.

2. Environment also needs to be recognized. In Iluka we have a beautiful" Natural heritage Rainforest" that needs to be protected. this is why the Northern Rivers is such an amazing place to live. there are so many talented people that live here. use this to everyone's advantage rather than have the community off side. we all need to work together.

I offer this submission with deep respect for our land, people, and shared future. These ideas focus on strengthening resilience, our natural and cultural assets, supporting grassroots economies, and creating space for lifelong learning.

1. Resilience, Climate Adaptation & Disaster Preparedness. Our region faces increasing challenges from climate change, including floods, bushfires, and drought. Building resilient, prepared communities must be a central pillar of our future planning.

Goal: Strengthen community-led climate resilience through preparedness, acceptance, local skills, and long-term water and food security.

Actions: Establish off-grid, self-sufficient community hubs in partnership with not-forprofits to support disaster readiness with storage for non-perishable supplies like toiletries, stretchers, etc connected to solar energy, water tanks, emergency supplies, generators and communications. Deliver workshops in collaboration with emergency services, heritage tradespeople, and traditional skill holders in areas like food growing, food preservation, disaster readiness, water conservation, and first aid. Work towards a regional water and food security strategy, with a focus on drought, flood and fire adaptation, community gardens, local food networks, and education. Encourage localised resilience planning with a focus on intergenerational learning and skills-sharing.

2. Environment, River & Natural Identity. The

Comment

Point 1:

Recommend noting feedback in relation to the Community Engagement Strategy and objective ‘Council is accountable and representative with open and transparent leadership’. Council aims to gather feedback from stakeholders (those impacted by a given project). Community feedback is then considered alongside other project considerations and constraints (e.g. technical, legislative, resource) to determine the best way forward for the community as a whole.

Point 2:

Recommend for noting. Feedback is consistent with previous feedback from the community and Environmental strategic theme ‘a natural environment that is protected from local and global pressures’.

The feedback provided has a strong theme of ‘wellbeing’ which aligns to the transition of Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework to consider wellbeing as an indicator of success. It is recommended that Council include in the Operational Plan an action to investigate a Wellbeing Strategy, which would combine community-based strategies into a single framework (including the Disability Inclusion Action Plan, Crime Prevention Strategy, Youth program). This would allow Council to consider the complexity of the issues, priorities, partnerships and resources to put forward a recommendation to Council. It’s also timely with the review of the existing strategies due in 2026.

Point 1:

Recommended for noting. Community Resilience is led by funded government and non-government agencies. Infrastructure Resilience is captured under ‘impact of natural disasters and environmental conditions on infrastructure is minimised’.

Point 2:

Page 30, recommend change ‘coastline, waterways and natural environment are healthy’ to ‘coastline, waterways and natural environment are healthy and contribute to our wellbeing’. Recommend actions are noted for

Cristie Yaeger Ulmarra

Clarence River and surrounding landscapes are vital to our identity, wellbeing, and prosperity.

Goal: Enhance natural access and community connection to the Clarence River and environment with care, creativity, and cultural awareness.

Actions: Develop gentle, natural river access points and tidal pools that offer safe, inclusive swimming and calm gathering spaces both upper and lower river. Ensure these places foster community wellbeing, connection to Country, and passive recreation. Encourage restoration, education, and engagement with the river as a living system, not just a resource. Foster a stronger connection to our past Indigenous heritage, pioneering history, river culture to build a shared story and vision for our future. Embrace our status as the “gap in the map” and promote Clarence Valley as a “hidden treasure” with old-fashioned charm and cultural richness, being one of the oldest settlements on the North Coast.

3. Local Economy, Small Business & Hinterland Potential. Our economy thrives when locals are supported to create, grow, and share. From riverside towns to hinterland hamlets, there is untapped potential.

Goal: Revitalise local economies through creative enterprise, community connection, and regional place-making.

Actions: Support small-scale farmers markets, artisan craft fairs, and mobile marketplaces to promote local produce and handmade goods. Develop hinterland tourism through nature retreats, cultural trails, and experiences that highlight our local stories, landscapes, and food. Optimise the use of community halls as multi-use hubs for markets, workshops, art, skill-sharing, and emergency coordination. Return community halls to the status of "the heart of a community." Prioritise grassroots connections and neighbourhood-level enterprise as the foundation of our economic resilience.

4. Early Childhood, Lifelong Learning & Open-Air Education. In a changing world, our youngest deserve opportunities to grow through connection, curiosity, and community.

Goal: Create open, inclusive learning environments that support early childhood, intergenerational knowledge, and communityled education.

Actions: Establish open-air classrooms and ecofriendly playscapes in public spaces, accessible to families, play groups, and community educators. Use these spaces for community-driven learning from storytelling

consideration in the Delivery Program and Operational Plan including review and deliver the Clarence River Masterplan 2.

Point 3:

Recommend for noting in operational delivery against ‘a dispersed and sustainable tourism’ and ‘art and culture are celebrated, and historical assets preserved’.

Recommend noting that the Destination Management Plan includes strategic actions to build and promote hinterland, encourage visitation in local villages and promote and support local events including markets.

Recommend for noting in the Cultural Plan (under review) that will address support for local artists through Plunge Festival and regular markets.

Point 4:

Recommend for noting under operational delivery against ‘young people are supported in a community that enables growth, development and participation in decision making’.

Recommend for noting for future advocacy to State Government (responsible for education) under ‘Council represents, advocates and demonstrates a positive and connected partnership with all levels of government.

to gardening, crafts to cultural workshops open to anyone willing to gather and share knowledge. Encourage early childhood advocacy and partnerships with families, educators, and local organisations to improve inclusivity. Embed respect for nature, selfsufficiency, and community collaboration into early learning through practical experiences and shared spaces. The Clarence Valley is rich in natural beauty, heritage, and community spirit. By valuing our uniqueness from our hidden charm to our untapped hinterland and by investing in resilience, local enterprise, and lifelong learning, we can ensure Clarence 2032 is not just a plan, but a shared story of renewal and pride.

Dear Clarence Valley Council, Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Clarence 2036 Strategy. As a ratepayer and community member, I offer the following observations and suggestions to strengthen the strategy's effectiveness and community alignment and will refer to each section individually.

1. Community

Community The strategy references "partnerships" throughout, but lacks clarity on what this means in practice. A clearer definition of what constitutes a "partnership" with Council and how community input is weighted in decision-making processes is needed. Recent experiences with resident groups (sometimes dismissively referred to as "a handful of disgruntled residents") suggest that community engagement could be significantly improved.

With affordable housing a primary concern for our community I would like to see you shift your focus from ‘maintain’ to ‘increase’ and demonstrate a pathway to achieve it. There is room for improvement. For instance, the termination of semi-permanent van residents raises concerns about Council's capacity to acknowledge how its actions effect vulnerable community members.

Also a notable omission is the absence of any concrete strategy addressing our growing homelessness crisis. The homeless are also part of our community. I encourage Council to acknowledge and include specific actions toward creating safe spaces for people experiencing homelessness, providing access to amenities like toilets and showers, and working collaboratively with community services to address underlying issues.

2. Infrastructure

The infrastructure section would benefit from greater clarity. For example, whether footpath commitments apply to existing or future pathways. I would recommend including a “partnership approach” to notify and engage with residents whose properties may be affected by new footpath works.

3. I appreciate the increased focus on floodplain and drainage infrastructure. With respect to natural disasters, a more collaborative and transparent approach to communicating serious coastal issues to new residents, who may not be aware, is needed – for example; the imminent loss of the only access road to Iluka with no plan as yet to provide an alternative. It’s my understanding that findings from the Coastal Management Plan should be reflected in all future strategies. Acknowledging the risks to coastal and riverside living will help guide choices people make about where they live.

4. Lastly, given the current low satisfaction rates with road maintenance, Council should consider upgrading its commitment from "maintain" to "increase" in this area.

5. 3. Economy

6. I would like to see better clarification around what CVC

Point 1:

Page 16, recommend updating the definition of partnership to change ‘jointly influence delivery’ to ‘jointly deliver’ so it reads ‘Council enters formal or informal partnerships to jointly deliver programs or services. This may include a single organisation or bringing together multiple stakeholders’ to provide greater clarity that the responsibilities refer to the role of Council separate to community participation across projects. In relation to the footpath network, specific actions in relation to new and existing footpaths addressed in active transport strategy and operational plan.

Page 28, recommend measure to ‘maintain in line with population projections’ to provide greater clarity.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to homelessness. Homelessness is a State Government issue. Council officers work with relevant State and non-government agencies to address issues.

Point 2:

Recommend noting feedback in relation to footpaths. The partnership approach relates to responsibility for delivery, separate to community engagement in relation to projects and strategies.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to communication of coastal issues for consideration in operational delivery.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to road maintenance. Given the size of the LGA, extensive road network and consistent wet weather events, it is suggested that changing the trend to ‘increase’ is unrealistic given the constraints. Council actively seeks grant funding to improve infrastructure including Iluka Road.

Point 3:

Recommend noting feedback in relation to sustainable tourism. The Destination Management Plan outlines strategies to disperse tourism across the region, increase the spend per visitor and encourage visitation outside of peak season to reduce the impact of tourism to residents

sees as 'sustainable' tourism. Is this based purely on economic returns, or is consideration being given to limited footprint operations in areas near or adjoining areas of unique natural and cultural heritage? 'Sustainable' means many things to many people, and a better understanding of this vision needs to be spelled out. Not every town has the capacity or desire for purely tourism-focused development.

7. Using Iluka as an example, the town struggles with seasonal tourism surges while, according to the Iluka chamber of commerce, the town receives limited economic benefit, as many visitors are self sufficient. I encourage Council to balance tourism initiatives with support for essential services that attract permanent residents (childcare, medical facilities), year-round economic activity rather than seasonal boom-and-bust cycles, and development that respects the unique character of each community.

4.Environment

The environmental measures could be significantly strengthened. With last year's tree planting budget of just $30,000 across the Clarence Valley and minimal visible habitat connectivity improvements, a commitment to merely "maintain" current efforts seems inadequate. Enforcement of existing environmental protections also requires attention. For example, unauthorised beach driving continues in Iluka, including in sensitive dune areas, despite permit requirements. If Council is genuinely committed to coastal protection, consideration should be given to following progressive councils that have ceased allowing beach driving altogether. As a project coordinator for Iluka Landcare, I welcome the opportunity to engage with Council to improve our landscapes and prevent further environmental damage.

5. Leadership

The strategy's approach to leadership appears unnecessarily restrictive, with accountable and transparent leadership described as being "directly controlled by council." A more inclusive approach would involve partnering with the community to determine appropriate involvement mechanisms.

Financial responsibility should include greater transparency about the assumptions underlying Council decisions. For example, residents deserve to understand the financial implications if ambitious targets (such as the 270,000+ annual patrons needed for the new pool to break even) are not met.

The strategy states that diverse views are "considered" in decision-making but gives no indication of how these views are weighted. Recent experiences with the Local Housing Strategy, where strategy development proceeded in areas strongly opposed by the community, have eroded trust in this process. The strong commitment to achieve active participation and empowerment of community is not reflected in your leadership statements. Rather than maintaining current performance levels, I suggest Council commit to "increasing" transparency and accountability, given growing community concerns in this area. I appreciate your consideration of these points and look forward to seeing how they might be incorporated into an improved

and villages. In addition, the DMP outlines actions to become an eco-certified destination which would include further consideration of investment into infrastructure that reduces visitor impact to natural environment.

Point 4:

Recommend review of indicators to: ‘planning controls for management of the environment’, ‘projects and action that support landowners’ and ‘community access to the natural environment’ for objective one; and ‘actions delivered under the Coastal Management Plan’ for objective two. These indicators would be controlled and measured directly by Council and would support changing the trend to ‘increase’.

Point 5:

Recommend including the role to ‘partner’ and ‘advocate’ for ‘Council represents, advocates and demonstrates a positive and connected partnership with all levels of government’.

Recommend including the role of ‘deliver’ and ‘partner’ for ‘diverse views are considered in decision making’.

Recommend retaining ‘maintain’ for current indicators under ‘Council is accountable and representative with open and transparent leadership as it relates to the indicators. These are legislated items in terms of how Council operates year-onyear.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to engagement, as addressed under the Community Engagement Strategy.

Sarah Eifermann Maclean

The Maclean District Business Chamber welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on The Clarence 2036 Community Strategic Plan. While we support the intent to establish a shared vision for the Clarence Valley, the current draft lacks the necessary depth, balance, and delivery framework to inspire confidence among the region’s business community. This document reads more like a promotional overview than a strategic roadmap. It fails to address the structural, operational, and communication issues that have plagued previous plans and does not reflect the urgent, practical needs of businesses in the Lower Clarence.

1. Overemphasis on Tourism at the Expense of Sustainable Industry The plan heavily focuses on tourism and ecotourism. While those sectors are important, they cannot carry the economic future of the Clarence alone. The business base in our region is broader and more complex than this document acknowledges. We strongly recommend the plan include:

• A diversified economic development strategy that supports existing industries: trade services, construction, professional services, healthcare, agriculture, logistics, and creative enterprise; including the creation of a business unit within Council, similar to Coffs Harbour City Council’s 6 Degrees.

• Business and Workforce training, upskilling, and retention strategies to meet evolving business and employment demands.

• Meaningful partnerships with Chambers, TAFE, and regional education providers to strengthen skills pipelines and local capability. Tourism is part of the solution not the whole picture.

2. Communication and Transparency: A Repeated, Unaddressed Failure Council’s communication remains one of its most criticised and unresolved weaknesses. The draft plan offers no concrete commitments to improve this. The community continues to experience: • Minimal notice of key changes or decisions • Broken commitments to town meetings and community forums (despite election promises) • Slow or no responses to stakeholder enquiries • A lack of visibility or progress reporting on strategic projects If Council genuinely wants to rebuild public trust, this plan must include:

• A public communication charter defining response timeframes, consultation protocols, and engagement standards, and a requirement for Staff to be accountable to this.

• A commitment to quarterly stakeholder meetings, including open town forums across population centres like Maclean and Iluka.

• A strategic projects dashboard updated quarterly so the community can track outcomes against objectives.

• Community audits of previous plans to highlight delivery gaps and improve transparency. Good governance begins with

Recommend for noting feedback in relation to the CSP. The plan is established based on the IP&R recommendations. Further clarification of Council priorities for the next four years is captured in the 4-year Delivery Program and annual Operational Plans. Recommend for noting the feedback in relation to tourism. ‘Dispersed and sustainable tourism’ is the only objective in relation to tourism. Tourism employs close to 9% of people and supports the concerns to managing the impact of visitors while in the region.

Recommend for noting the feedback in relation to industry. Feedback captured under ‘an attractive environment for industry and local businesses to flourish’, ‘business led innovation is supported and encouraged’ and ‘employment and education are diverse and accessible’. The Council endorsed Regional Economic Development Strategy 2023 is noted in ‘council plans and strategies’ on page 54.

Point 2:

recommend for noting in the delivery program and operational plan under ‘council is accountable and representative with open and transparent leadership’. recommend for noting engagement standards have been drafted in the Community Engagement Strategy based on feedback from the community. recommend for noting feedback in relation to community audits. Council reports 6-monthly and annual on outcomes of the Delivery Program and Operational Plan in line with the IP&R Framework and required legislation.

Point 3:

recommend noting feedback in relation to delivery of strategic plans. Strategic Plans set out key actions, many of which are reliant on funding. As a regional council, heavily reliant on grants and funding from State and Federal Government, strategies are key to advocating for and increasing success in securing funding. As such, while Council endeavours to fulfill all actions within a strategy, they are dependant on

communication. Right now, that is missing in action.

3. Planning Without Delivery Is Undermining Confidence Clarence Valley Council has a pattern of publishing strategic plans that do not result in tangible delivery. The current document does not include KPIs, responsible parties, timelines, or review processes. Projects like the Clouston Maclean Waterfront Plan have languished for years, despite funding, support, and clear potential to transform investment and local activity. Similarly, development application processes remain cumbersome, slow, and unresponsive to the commercial realities of doing business. This must change. We call for:

• A delivery and accountability framework with clear owners, deadlines, and public updates.

• Faster and more consistent DA processes to support private investment and enable business agility.

• Prioritisation and activation of long-stalled community assets like the Maclean Waterfront precinct, to stimulate investor and community confidence.

• Independent performance tracking, not internal self-assessment.

Without action, this plan becomes another welldesigned brochure with no backbone.

4. Council Must Embrace Its Role as Advocate and Enabler Although Council may not directly deliver core infrastructure such as roads or public transport, it plays a crucial role in advocating for and enabling regional upgrades. We urge Council to:

• Aggressively pursue regional infrastructure funding by working with State and Federal counterparts.

• Identify strategic transport and digital connectivity gaps and advocate for solutions (e.g. highway improvements, business precinct connectivity, freight capacity).

• Work collaboratively with private enterprise and community groups to unlock investment and remove barriers to delivery.

5. Businesses Need Council to Be Agile, Not a Barrier The economic climate ahead will require adaptability. Clarence Valley Council is currently viewed as a slowmoving institution one that often makes it harder, not easier, to do business.

We encourage Council to:

• Modernise its internal workflows and approvals systems to shorten delays.

• Establish an internal CRM with ticketing system to enable track and speed

• Establish a business advisory group representing all regions of the LGA, not just select towns.

constraints, including resources.

Point 4:

recommend noting feedback in relation to role as advocate. Considered under ‘council represents, advocates and demonstrates a positive and connected partnership with all levels of government’.

Point 5:

recommend noting feedback in relation to doing business. Council is introducing a new technology system that will address concerns. In addition, the business consultative committee is being established to provide advice to Council in relation to the economy.

Terence Hudson James Creek

• Introduce a “business first” commitment, where Council proactively seeks to support and retain local enterprise rather than apply blanket red tape. Council must become a partner in progress, not a procedural gatekeeper.

In Closing The Clarence 2036 is an opportunity to break with past failures and set a new course for delivery, accountability, and genuine community collaboration. But in its current form, it misses that opportunity. We urge Council to:

• Acknowledge its historic shortfalls in communication, delivery, and consultation • Commit to measurable economic, operational, and community development outcomes

• Position itself not just as a planner but as a capable, responsive enabler of progress The Maclean District Business Chamber expect where ratepayer funds are invested, to go beyond words and into meaningful action.

1. To Clarence Valley Council, This Community Strategic Plan, is just another expensive trail, which really means nothing from a council that does not do proper consultation and inclusion of the whole community of the Clarence Shire, in it's decisions, and non implementation of essential infrastructure and forward planning.

2. The management of the council has effectively gagged the public and shut them down when they complain. Notifications are poor, criticisms are rejected, requests are ignored. Contacting the council has become difficult and the phone in system, is corrupted, yet they do nothing to rectify this mess.

3. Council meetings are conducted poorly, long distances are travelled for all to attend these alternating meetings, and recently meetings closed down, all due the mismanagement of this council and a present Mayor and Manager not stopping a meeting when a councillor makes racist comments, and then shuts down complainants. What a mess this council has turned into. Groups of councillors are pitted against each other, and backstabbing occurs to offend other councillors. Poor show CVC.

4. The "Revenue Policy" is a fine example of how council staff are untrained, and some council consultants are belittling to objectors in properly explaining the proposed Revenue Policy, when questioned. And the Council's statement of "ensures fair and equitable levying of rates" is an outright lie, actually the general rating is not equitable, not fair and very discriminatory, to certain ratepayers. But the manager remains firm and refuses to offer alternative options. Most councillors still don't understand how these rates are levied and calculated. I could go on about many issues, but who is listening. Best solution, have an administrator appointed, and fix this mess of OUR Clarence Valley Council!

Point 1:

Recommend noting feedback in relation to the Community Engagement Strategy.

Point 2:

Recommend for noting. Not in relation to the Community Strategic Plan.

Point 3:

Recommend for noting. Not in relation to the Community Strategic Plan. Meetings are held in accordance with the Code of Meeting Practice adopted by Council based on the recommended model from Office of Local Government.

Point 4:

Recommend for noting. Not in relation to the Community Strategic Plan.

Clarence Valley Conservation Coalition inc

1. How is this draft different from the current CSP, known as Clarence 2032? The Local Government Act 1993 (section 402(3)) requires that, within the

Point 1:

Community engagement was undertaken to review the 2032

Clarence Valley

financial year of election, a new Council must review and endorse an existing community strategic plan (CSP) or may develop and endorse a new plan to ensure that the area has a CSP covering at least the next 10 years. For the community (and Council) to be informed on what changes the new Council has required in its CSP, best practice would be for the review of the old plan (The Clarence 2032) to be linked from the page promoting the exhibition of the new draft plan (The Clarence 2036). It isn’t. In fact, the detail provided to councillors commending the draft CSP for exhibition fails to highlight all changes, providing only a simple one-sentence summary as follows: Community feedback is ongoing and recommends the review and reduction in CSP objectives as well as a name change to one theme, Society, amended to become Community, to capture the importance of an active and accessible community.

The current plan was difficult to download in a webaccessible format from its landing page at Community Strategic Plan 2032 | Clarence Valley Council (it is only available first as a flipbook on isuu.com which is not easy to read). It is unreasonable to expect the public to work through two very different documents to understand the substantial changes to content that have been made to The Clarence 2032 when drafting The Clarence 2036. As a community organisation that actively engages with aspects of Council’s management, the lack of clear statements on what changes are being proposed in the new draft CSP is deeply concerning.

2. The Planning context appears incomplete. The draft CSP makes an error in claiming that the preparation of the Community Strategic Plan is a requirement of the Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) Framework. This same error is made in the officer’s report to Council (Item 2024.524 at the 20 March 2025 meeting). The CVCC understands that the requirement for a CSP is stated in section 402 of the Local Government Act 1993. It is curious (and somewhat worrying) that this legislation and its legal requirements are not mentioned at all in the draft strategy. The various types of plans mentioned and shown in the figure on p.9 of the draft CSP fails to mention the Local Strategic Planning Statement (LSPS). The LSPS is a 20-year strategic planning document required under section 3.9 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&AAct). It identifies the planning priorities for the LGA consistent with the CSP but prevails over the CSP on several important aspects. For example, any planning proposal to rezone land must demonstrate that it will give effect to the LSPS. Also, the impact assessment required under Part 5 of the EP&AAct for any infrastructure works must demonstrate those works are consistent with the LSPS, not the CSP. Hence, it is curious why the role of the LSPS (a 20year strategic plan) is not acknowledged in the CSP (which is only a 10-year strategic plan subject to updates every 4 years) other than as being listed as one of Council’s plans and strategies on p. 54. The

CSP from August to October 2024 including 11 drop-in sessions generating 321 points of information and 68 online surveys. Page 57 of the CSP highlights some broad insights with specific feedback included as part of ‘what the community said’ within each theme. There is a strong correlation between ‘what the community said’ and the revised objectives.

Recommend noting concerns in relation to issuu. There is a download function available to access pdf.

Point 2:

Recommend inclusion of reference to Local Government Act on page 7.

Recommend noting of legislation for consideration in detailed council plans and strategies. Individual legislation not recommended in the CSP. Retain the existing reference to the Local Strategic Planning Statement on page 54 under ‘Council plans and strategies’.

Point 3:

Recommend remove reference to ‘NSW Government’s Social Justice Strategy’. On page 12, in relation to Social Justice Principle of ‘access’, update reference from ‘ensuring that everyone has equal access to essential resources, such as food, water, healthcare, education and shelter’ to ‘ensuring that everyone has equitable access to services, resources and opportunities to improve their quality of life’.

Recommend update in Community Engagement Strategy also.

Point 4:

No change recommended in relation to feedback on inclusion of climate change as it’s captured under ‘impact of natural disasters and environmental conditions on infrastructure is minimised’ and ‘floodplain and drainage infrastructure are maintained in a way that improved amenity and liveability’. Recommend that it’s considered at an operational level to inform preparation of a Climate Adaptation Strategy.

Point 5:

Page 42, recommend change

CVCC recommends the interaction of the CSP with the LSPS be explained in the CSP.

3. The outline of social justice principles requires more nuancing The draft CSP on p. 12 references the ‘NSW Government’s Social Justice Strategy’ in outlining what social justice means. There is no link to this document in the draft CSP and a Google search has failed to find it, other than in other LGA’s CSPs from 4 or 5 years ago. Given there has been a recent change in NSW Government this reference may need to be reviewed. The CVCC is, however, not objecting to the retention of social justice principles. Instead, we request a better explanation of what it means. For example, in the principle of ‘access’, it is better to have an aim for equitable access to services, resources and opportunities to improve their quality of life, not just ‘equal access’ as currently stated. The CVCC recommends replacing ‘Ensuring that everyone has equal access to essential resources, such as food, water, healthcare, education and shelter’ to ‘Ensuring that everyone has equitable access to services, resources and opportunities to improve their quality of life’. This image (courtesy of https://interactioninstitute.org/illustratingequality-vsequity/) outlines the difference between ‘equal access’ and ‘equitable access’.

4.Climate change is recognised as a key challenge and area of risk The CVCC is pleased to see that the draft CSP states that climate change is one of the top 5 risks for NSW councils, and as a key issue of one other risk, namely disaster and catastrophic events. Climate change should also be considered part of the risk related to assets and infrastructure, as climate change adaptation strategies must involve upgrades to existing infrastructure. This is a key message in the quote on p. 35: “I want to live in a place that has climate aware resilient infrastructure.” Accordingly, on p. 30 and p. 34 of the draft CSP, the CVCC recommends that the following objectives be modified as follows: Current wording Proposed wording Floodplain and drainage infrastructure are maintained in a way that improves amenity and liveability. Floodplain and drainage infrastructure assets are maintained and upgraded to improve liveability, including during more extreme weather events. Impact of natural disasters and environmental conditions on infrastructure is minimised Infrastructure is planned, built and maintained to cope with natural disasters and future environmental conditions under climate change.

Clarification of wording:

• Infrastructure - Objective 3 - current wording is "Floodplain and drainage infrastructure are maintained in a way that improves amenity and liveability"

CVCC recommended wording " Floodplain and drainage infrastructure assets are maintained and upgraded to improve liveability, including during more extreme weather events."

• Infrastructure - Objective 5 - current wording

‘Coastline, waterways and natural environment are healthy’ to ‘Coastline, waterways and natural environments are healthy’ to consider diverse environment across the Clarence including agricultural lands.

Page 42, under environmental theme, change ‘Flora’ and ‘Fauna’ to ‘flora’ and ‘fauna’.

Recommend inclusion of indicator ‘investment and actions delivered under the Coastal Management Bush Regeneration and Biodiversity Strategies’ as a measure.

Recommend inclusion of indicator ‘area of land and length of pathways managed for priority weeks’

Point 6:

Page 51, recommend change ‘join community engagement panel’ to ‘join our community engagement e-newsletter’ to align to updated reference in CES (page 51). The community engagement panel is forward planning in relation to feedback received as part of the Community Engagement Strategy. Recommend Council note feedback in relation to advisory committees.

On page 51, recommend change ‘your region’ to ‘represent the Clarence Valley community’ for clarity.

On page 52, change ‘decision are made with information that is informed by diverse views and broad representation’ to ‘diverse views are considered in decision making’.

is "Impact of natural disasters and environmental conditions on infrastructure is minimised"

CVCC recommended wording " Infrastructure is planned, built and maintained to cope with natural disasters and future environmental conditions under climate change"

5. Environment as a strategic theme

The CVCC is pleased to see that the Environment has been retained as a strategic theme in the draft CSP, although it is somewhat confusing that ‘diverse agricultural lands’ is one of the descriptors of the ‘environment’ rather than part of the context in the strategic them of ‘Economy’. The inclusion of agricultural lands under ‘Environment’ is, however, not supported by any of the objectives. The CVCC recommends that Objective 2 (Coastline, waterways and natural environment are healthy) be reworded to: Coastline, waterways, bushland and agricultural lands are healthy

We are disappointed that no indicator of natural condition is listed in the table on p. 46. We understand that Council has too few staff to effectively manage the areas of bushland under its control. A concerning fact revealed in council’s draft Bush Regeneration Strategy (which was exhibited last year) was that council only had 2 staff to manage the 10,000 hectares of bushland under its control. A key threat to natural ecosystems and also the productivity of agricultural lands is introduced plant species (‘weeds’). For example, the spread of Tropical Soda Apple – which continues to occur in part due to poor land management responses by Council staff – has affected grazing properties and conservation lands alike (including Councilowned lands). The CVCC understands Clarence Valley Council is the local weeds authority for the Clarence Valley LGA under the NSW Biosecurity Act 2015. This important responsibility must be reflected in the CSP. The CVCC recommends adding the following indicators: - in relation to Objective 1 (Natural environments, ecosystems and native Flora [sic.] and Fauna [sic.] are enhanced and protected): o Investment in bush regenerationIn relation to Objective 2 (Coastline, waterways, bushland and agricultural lands are healthy): o Weed control programs and directions, excluding playing fields

6. Council’s leadership The CVCC notes that the panel headed “How the community can get involved” includes a couple of items that seem curious. For example: - Join our community engagement panel. The CVCC notes that there is no mention of this panel on council’s website or in council’s Community Engagement Policy. It is unclear what this panel is (or was) and how the community may join it. - Participate on a Council advisory committee. Our membership

includes several who were previously on a Council community advisory committee. While that did ‘involve’ those members, it mostly proved to be a waste of their time. Committee recommendations either were not passed on to Council or, if included in the business papers for a Council meeting, exposed those members to public attack from various councillors, who took no interest in engaging with the advisory committees or the issues which prompted the recommendation. The suggested indicator for the relevant Objective (Decisions are made with information that is informed by diverse views and broad representation) fails to mention consultation with community advisory committees. - Stand for election to Council to represent your region. This wording is curious, given the absence of wards in the Clarence Valley LGA. It is also somewhat worrying, implying that the councillors who live in the Lower Clarence or Grafton are only there to represent that part of the LGA. We hope not! With respect to the objectives, it is noted that there is slightly different wording of the 4th Leadership objective on p. 48 and on p. 52. The CVCC recommends the following wording of the 4th objective: Council decisions are informed by a diverse range of views

Clarification sought on:

The CVCC is recommending changes in the wording for each of the following objectives:

• Infrastructure - Objective 3 - current wording is "Floodplain and drainage infrastructure are maintained in a way that improves amenity and liveability"

CVCC recommended wording " Floodplain and drainage infrastructure assets are maintained and upgraded to improve liveability, including during more extreme weather events."

• Infrastructure - Objective 5 - current wording is "Impact of natural disasters and environmental conditions on infrastructure is minimised"

CVCC recommended wording " Infrastructure is planned, built and maintained to cope with natural disasters and future environmental conditions under climate change"

Replacing employment traditionally tied to forestry and fire management (such as logging and fire brigades) with a more sustainable approach focused on facilitating the natural succession of forests requires a shift in both economic structures and land management practices. This transition would rely on a combination of ecosystem restoration, education, policy changes, and new forms of employment that are both ecologically sound and economically viable. Here's how it could work:

1. Redefining Forest Management Employment: EcoManagement and Ecological Restoration

Forestry jobs today typically involve the extraction of

Point 1:

Recommend that feedback is noted to inform operational delivery in relation to ‘Council represents, advocates and demonstrates a positive and connected partnership with all levels of government. Council has been involved in meetings coordinated by the NSW State Government in relation to establishment of the Great Koala National Park with conversations consistent with the nature of the feedback.

Jeanette Davidson Kremnos

timber and other forest resources. Transitioning these roles into eco-management positions could involve managing forest ecosystems in ways that promote long-term ecological health rather than exploitation. This would include activities like:

• Monitoring forest health and biodiversity: Employees could focus on assessing the health of forest ecosystems, tracking plant and animal species, and identifying any invasive species that may threaten forest succession.

• Planting and nurturing native species: In areas where forest regeneration is slow or disrupted, ecomanagers could focus on planting and nurturing species that help restore biodiversity and resilience to climate change. This could also include the facilitation of forest gaps for the natural succession of certain plants or trees.

• Restoration of degraded lands: Some workers could be trained in restoring degraded areas by supporting the growth of understory vegetation, ensuring soil fertility, and working with native bioturbators like termites, ants, and small mammals.

In this sense, former forestry workers would not lose their jobs but would transition into roles that focus on forest regeneration, restoration, and sustainable land management, rather than resource extraction.

2. Alternative Careers for Fire Brigade Personnel: Forest Fire Resilience Experts

Long-term goal is to reduce fire risks through natural forest processes, including the succession of forests that create more resilient, fire-resistant landscapes.

Fire brigade workers could transition to roles that focus on fire resilience and prevention, such as:

• Fire resilience consultants: They could help landowners, communities, and local councils by encouraging natural forest regeneration with the approval of Association of Bush Regenerators.

• Education and community outreach: Firefighters could help educate communities about fire-safe landscaping, the role of indigenous plants, and methods of reducing fuel loads naturally through facilitating succession of forests, without resorting to burns. This shift would allow fire management professionals to contribute to creating more fireresilient ecosystems through strategies by advocating for forest regeneration that reduces the overall fire risk.

3. Job Creation through Ecotourism and Education

One of the most powerful ways to replace employment traditionally associated with forestry and fire management is through ecotourism and environmental education. As forests transition towards being self-sustaining ecosystems, there will be new opportunities for people to work in areas such as:

Point 2:

Recommended for noting. Feedback not in relation to the CSP.

Point 3:

Recommended for noting in operational delivery. Under the Destination Management Plan, council is working towards ecocertification as outlined in this years delivery program.

Point 4, 5, 6 and 7:

Recommend for noting in operational planning. Captured under ‘protection of the environment is encouraged through initiatives and education’.

• Ecotourism guides: Promoting forest health and natural succession as a key feature for tourists, creating jobs for guides, educators, and conservationists.

• Forest stewardship programs: Creating a new category of jobs where people act as stewards of the forest, overseeing long-term forest health, restoration, and guiding public engagement.

• Environmental educators: Providing workshops, school programs, and community education about the role of forests in climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and fire resilience. Ecotourism based around sustainable forests could create new jobs in hospitality, guiding, conservation research, and environmental education, with the added benefit of promoting local economies.

4. New Roles in Community-Based Forest Management

Community-based forest management involves local communities in the active care and stewardship of forests. These programs focus on empowering local people, including those formerly employed in logging or firefighting, to manage forest resources sustainably. This includes:

• Forest health monitoring: Creating local networks of citizens who can participate in observing and recording forest conditions, biodiversity, and any signs of forest degradation or pests.

• Native species protection: Workers can transition to roles focused on protecting rare or endangered species within forests. This could involve habitat restoration, monitoring, and working with landowners to preserve key biodiversity.

5. Forest Succession Facilitators: Managing Natural Processes

Facilitating the succession of forests is a subtle process, often requiring minimal human intervention but highly informed management. Professionals could be trained to monitor and intervene in ways that promote the natural processes of succession without interfering too much in the forest's natural rhythms.

• Ecological restoration specialists: These workers would focus on restoring forests that have been degraded by logging, fire, or invasive species, guiding the forest through its natural succession process.

• Monitoring and research: Ongoing research positions could be created for monitoring the progress of forest regeneration, gathering data on how different species interact as the forest matures, and how forests adapt to climate change.

• Land-use planning: Forest succession facilitators could also work with local landowners and

Peter Maslen Gulmarrad

governments to implement land-use policies that encourage natural forest regeneration and manage landscapes that are prone to erosion or flooding.

6. Policy and Subsidy Support

Governments can play a significant role by redirecting subsidies from industries like logging and fire suppression towards programs that promote ecological restoration and the facilitation of natural succession. This could involve:

• Subsidies for ecological services: Providing financial support to landowners, private businesses, and local councils for maintaining or regenerating natural forests through native species restoration, wildlife conservation, and sustainable land practices.

• Redirecting funds from fire management: Governments could redirect a portion of funds previously used for regular fuel reduction burns and firefighting toward programs that manage forests as fire-resilient ecosystems. This might include longterm planning, habitat restoration, and public education.

7. Cultural and Community Transition

Engaging communities and providing the necessary cultural and educational support is key to making this transition successful. Public perception about forestry and fire management will need to change from an industry-centered view to one that values ecological restoration, biodiversity.

• Local engagement: Communities will need to be part of the process from the outset, which means creating opportunities for involvement in forest monitoring, restoration projects, and educating the next generation of environmental stewards.

In Summary: Replacing traditional forestry and fire management employment with roles centered around facilitating the succession of forests involves a profound shift in focus from extraction and short-term intervention to long-term ecological restoration. This approach can create new jobs in fields like ecological restoration, ecotourism, fire resilience, environmental education, and community-based natural ecosystem management. At the same time, it can foster a healthier, more resilient ecosystem that benefits local communities, supports biodiversity, and creates a sustainable, non-extractive economy.

1. Dear General Manager, The council is thanked for the opportunity to make a submission on the Community Strategic Plan 2036. In general, the policy is acceptable, but the level of implementation and application of these general policies is historically poor with continuous failings from various sections of council. If council is to approve this plan, then it must ensure it adheres to it and when auditing performance ‘white washing’ the result of a review must not be done to make the organisation appear to be performing

Point 1:

Recommend noting the concerns in relations to auditing performance. This is reviewed under the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee to provide independent assurance, oversight and assistance. Recommend noting concerns in relation to the environment under operational delivery. Within the CSP it is captured under

satisfactorily. Audit must be independent of council to be credible as self auditing always leads to false outcomes. A significant failing is the lack of highlighting of the environmental risks and challenges beyond general climatic change inserts. Although 60% of the Strategic context in the Environment section indicated the council is more interested in the risks associated with weather events than doing something about reducing the risks such as when it permits subdivision on flood plains, does little to prevent clearing of vegetation which attenuates floods and pollution and has not protected riparian zones, thereby exacerbating erosion of waterways to list but a few. The council must change its practices to implement the intent of this document instead of playing lip service to the issues. It is interesting in the recently advertised community advisory committees that climate change is not listed as an issue to be addressed by the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Committee which is tasked with advising council on issue related to the local environment, sustainability and natural hazards as well as opportunities for protecting the natural environment from local and global pressures reiterated in this plan. This goes to demonstrating the lack of sincerity of the council in seriously addressing the climate change impacts and implementing strategies to minimise these impacts to the community and the natural environment. Given the high natural environmental values of the Clarence region and the pressures resulting in its degradation, this is a significant omission regardless of the issues addressed in the core of the document. The fear continues by many in the community due to the perceived poor attitude of the council toward general environmental issues. The community in the council’s survey and that undertaken during the 2023 state election, places the environment at the highest or second highest value to the community. The views of the community in this draft plan are obvious and the council must act accordingly to implement the plan. While the environment section has acceptable objectives (see detailed comment below), current performance does not reflect this or the adherence to past plan objectives giving limited confidence to the implementation of this plan. As a household that actively practices or has implemented all the items listed in ‘How the community can get involved’, we are continuously concerned with the failure of council to implement past plans and have real concerns as to its genuine intent to implement this plan. In reviewing the Measures of the plan, the following comment is made:

2. (Table below)

environmental theme ‘a natural environment that is protected from local and global pressures’.

Point 2:

Page 46, recommend review of indicators (and in consideration of other feedback) to: ‘planning controls for management of the environment’, ‘projects and action that support landowners’ and ‘community access to the natural environment’ for objective one; and ‘actions delivered under the Coastal Management Plan’ for objective two. These indicators would be controlled and measured directly by Council and would support changing the trend to ‘increase’.

Point 3:

Recommend for noting, support for updated wording.

Deirdre Lawrie Yamba

3. From an economic perspective tourism is a growing industry. The natural environmental assets of the Clarence valley are an attraction beyond the popular coastal region. The protection and enhancement of these assets outside the national park system, is valuable to the continued expansion of this industry and the prevention of activities such as heavy metal mining which has a very high potential to be polluting, impacting not only on tourism but every other existing industry in the valley. It is heartening to see my comment in the last plan of in the area of “Leadership” the missing words of transparency or openness is now there. All the community needs now, is it to be put into practice as it has not always been evident in recent years. While recognising the plan could be defined as a motherhood statement, it is essential that the wording is correct and does not leave any issue left in a vague form. It is imperative that council actively implement the plan and not leave it hidden in a file somewhere never to be seen again. I look forward to the final plan with the above omissions being addressed, and the adherence to the intent of the plan by council.

SUBMISSION RE COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN –

The Clarence 2032

I attended two drop-in sessions on this and the Community Engagement Strategy.

I used a lot of stickers.

Some issues are listed below.

Yamba Traffic Network survey

Need to progress this as soon as possible to alleviate

Recommend that concerns in relation to roads be noted. This is captured under ‘a safe, connected and accessible road network’. Recommend that concerns in relation to water filtration be noted. This is captured under ‘well serviced communities with access to essential infrastructure including water, sewerage, public

Raelene Clark

traffic congestion on Yamba Road and Treelands Drive.

Carrs Drive, Yamba - roundabout issues

Difficult and dangerous for nearby residents to join Yamba Road. Vehicles drive through the lane reserved for resident use only. Vehicles turning left from Yamba Road into O’Gradys Lane. Blind corner. Safety issue for vehicles exiting O’Gradys Lane. Need for traffic calming. Note that this is where the cycle lane crosses the road –safety aspect.

Carrs Drive, Yamba – speed limit issue

Review 60km speed limit on Carrs Drive. As this is now a residential area, the speed limit should be reduced to 50km.

Golding Street, Yamba - roundabout safety issue

Need to relocate Fish Coop entry/exit so that it does not go on to the roundabout. The adjacent boat ramp carpark would probably be suitable.

Whiting Beach carpark, Yamba

Make this one way with entry at western end and exit at eastern end. This would improve traffic flow and make it safer.

Water filtration Address as a priority

Asbestos in pipes Address issues. Waiting to hear information on this from Mr Greg Mashiah, Manager, Technical Services, at a community meeting on 29 April 2025.

Drainage issues, Yamba Park Avenue and Shores Drive.

Stop building on flood plains

Prioritise maintenance of existing buildings and facilities over grandiose new projects

Preserve heritage and keep the Clarence authentic

Prioritise the needs of residents over tourism

Racism

A recent issue has demonstrated a need to address racism in Council.

“A Community that is safe, connected and inclusive” Council needs to improve on this goal. It is evident to me that many in the community do not feel that the Council is inclusive. Refrain from being dismissive of community members and organisations or their concerns in meetings and deputations, on radio and in social media. Need for Council representatives (staff and/or Councillors) to attend meetings on significant community issues.

"Ensure that everyone has equal access to essential resources, such as food, water, healthcare, education and shelter". By community transport travel it currently costs $15 per trip from Yamba CBD/Hill/Beachside area to the new Yamba Community Precinct/Library in Treelands Drive, Yamba. $15 to borrow a book! By Community transport it currently costs $30 to travel to the new Aquatic Centre in Grafton from Yamba - not including entry fees. Maclean Hydrotherapy Pool is free with a doctors referral but only includes 10 sessions per year. Yamba needs a Repair Cafe to save waste, teach new skills & resilience. I bought the International Repair Cafe manual. I was only offered a cupboard behind the

amenities and facilities’.

Recommend concerns in relation to drainage be noted. This is captured under ‘floodplain and drainage infrastructure are maintained in a way that improved amenity and liveability’.

Recommend feedback in relation to heritage is noted. This is captured under ‘art and culture are celebrated, and historical assets are preserved.

Recommend feedback in relation to tourism are noted. This is captured under ‘dispersed and sustainable tourism’. The Destination Management Plan outlines strategies to disperse tourism across the region, increase the spend per visitor and encourage visitation outside of peak season to reduce the impact of tourism to residents and villages. In addition, the DMP outlines actions to become an eco-certified destination which would include further consideration of investment into infrastructure that reduces visitor impact to natural environment. Recommend feedback in relation to racism be noted. This is captured under ‘Council is accountable and representative with open and transparent leadership’.

Recommend feedback in relation to transport be noted. This is captured under ‘a proud and inviting community with opportunities to connect, belong and feel safe’. Council is not responsible for public transportation and provides services that take into consideration community members, including the Home Library Service or digital library subscriptions.

Yamba

library in Wooli Street. Forward thinking would have a Library of Things and Tool Library, Little Free Libraries in every town. I have teaching qualifications and skills and am admin for these Facebook groups: Yamba Sustainable Connections (since 2010), Yamba Seniors Over 60, Lower Clarence Emergency Info, Yamba CRTYamba Community-led Resilience Team with Red Cross Emergency Services - Northern Rivers. There needs to be library resources deliveries in Yamba CBD area. Accessible transport for those with disabilities such as BusBot as was trialled in Grafton. Shuttle Buses needed between Treelands Drive, Yamba CBD and the beaches & sports venues. Accessible Beaches please with beach mats for wheelie walkers. Housing can be adaptable for future needs and Climate Change. As a former owner of Coastal Building Design in Yamba, existing buildings can be retrofitted to house multi-generational "families" keeping yards for growing food with Yamba's increased population. Food/Medicine Gardens in parks. Yamba Hill needs: mixed business, bank, emergency supplies, food & medicine stocks. People would evacuate to Yamba Hill or leave town Version: 1, Version Date: 23/04/2025 Document Set ID: 2748036 in Emergency disasters but they need supplies with them. 1974 floods Pacific Hotel was locked, locking in those inside & preventing others from entering.

Recommend feedback in relation also be noted to inform areas of concern to advocate for our community.

Recommend feedback in relation to repair café be noted. This is captured under ‘a proud and inviting community with opportunities to connect, belong and feel safe’. The Community Initiatives Program provides financial support to community organisations that run services or programs for the community.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to accessible beaches. This is captured under ‘a proud and inviting community with opportunities to connect, belong and feel safe’.

Recommend noting feedback in relation to housing. This is captured under ‘a mix of housing options in locations with access to services, health, education and employment’.

Public Exhibition Period: 21 March – 23 April 2025

Contact Submission

Rachel Kay Grafton

1. I would like to see greater community engagement from the council when it comes to planning and decisionmaking around all projects.

2. The voices of local residents matter especially when it comes to larger initiatives that directly impact our neighbourhoods. I believe that by listening to the community, the outcomes of these decisions will be more beneficial, practical, and supported by those who live here.

3. At present, I am noticing a decline in community involvement regarding major local issues. Reconnecting with residents and seeking their input will not only improve trust but also ensure decisions made truly reflect the needs of the people you represent.

4. One area of concern is infrastructure specifically the need for more footpaths around Westlawn. Extending pathways to connect with the existing Turf Street path, which leads directly to the town centre, would be a significant improvement. This would promote both safety and healthy lifestyles by encouraging more walking and cycling within the community.

5. Smaller villages also need greater attention and maintenance. Currently, many locals are left to maintain public lawns and facilities themselves. In some areas, BBQ facilities have been left broken and unusable, impacting the enjoyment of prime community parks.

6. Lastly, I urge council to protect and support the untouched local caravan parks. These parks play a vital role in sustaining our local economy year-round and have done so for generations. Interfering with or overdeveloping these spaces would harm the character and livelihood of our region.

Dear Council, Thank you for allowing me to share feedback on the Draft Community Engagement Strategy. Having been actively involved in numerous council-community interactions over recent years, I offer these observations based on lived experience with the current engagement processes.

1. Core Issues

The draft strategy adequately outlines minimum legislative requirements for engagement, but frankly, it stops there. What's missing is a genuine vision for collaborative community partnership.

Real engagement isn't just ‘exchanging information’ it's about working with us, not doing things for us or to us. When groups disagreeing with council are dismissed as "a handful" of upset people, it undermines the principles of social justice you claim to uphold.

The recent van parks situation demonstrates this disconnect where is the consideration for vulnerable community members facing displacement independent of what agreements may be in place? Labelling such matters as merely "operational" to avoid meaningful dialogue is not based on any social justice principle.

Comment

Recommend for noting feedback in relation to previous experience with community engagement. While the feedback is valid and important in how we deliver community engagement moving forward, changes to the draft Community Engagement Strategy are not proposed.

Points 1:

Recommend for noting. It is addressed on page 20 under Implementation which aligns to the community’s feedback in relation to level of feedback against topics.

Points 2 and 3:

Recommend for noting. They are addressed on page 7 Social Justice Principles and Engagement Principles; and, on page19 under Barriers and Challenges.

Points 4, 5 and 6:

Recommend noting in operational planning and delivery. No changes recommended to the Community Engagement Strategy.

Feedback provides insights into the community’s perception of community engagement and opportunities for improvements to the Community Engagement Strategy.

Point 1, recommend:

Including Foreword which outlines genuine vision for collaborative community partnerships.

On page 6, review the introduction to include an introduction separate to the IAP2 definition which outlines ‘effective and meaningful engagement is at the heart of local government and helps communities shape their own futures and inform the vision and direction of council’.

On page 7, provide greater confidence that the principles

Sonya Maley Iluka

2. Culture Change Needed

To be clear, demanding respect from the community while showing little in return creates the tension many are experiencing. The current deny, discredit and dismiss approach when facing community opposition isn't working. A complete cultural overhaul in how CVC engages with residents is necessary.

You may like to consider implementing a "Community Feedback Action Register" that tracks all significant community input, documents and reports back to the community how this was considered in decision-making processes.

The strategy mentions "levels of influence available to the community" but provides no information about how community input is assessed, weighted, or incorporated into decision-making. This transparency is required under NSW local government guidelines, and residents deserve to understand how their feedback actually influences outcomes.

3. Missing Elements

Comparing this draft strategy to its predecessor reveals a concerning shift toward a more clinical, prescribed approach. Gone is the language about building genuine relationships, trust, and goodwill.

Missing is any meaningful commitment to proactively seek and value community input. I urge council to aim higher toward excellence in engagement. To bringing a community with you through making the effort to show our input is valued. You may wish to consider bringing in more highly “skilled” communications expertise rather than simply hiring for “organisational fit." The current approach simply isn't working and needs substantial change.

It would be beneficial to the community to reinstate the positive language from the previous strategy and supplement it with concrete accountability measures that demonstrate council's commitment to genuine engagement.

4. Practical Improvements Needed

The engagement spectrum is disappointingly set at "involve" (we'll consider your ideas) when it should be "collaborate" (let's develop solutions together). For a strategy about community engagement, shouldn't the community have had a “collaborative” role in its development?

The communication methods outlined fail to accommodate community members without internet access or those uncomfortable in one-on-one settings with council representatives. The well attended town hall meetings recently organised in Iluka demonstrate strong community preference for group settings where questions and answers are shared collectively.

Council may like to consider the following changes:

• Regular (say quarterly) town hall meetings in each major community area

• Establishment of a community forum where residents can directly engage with staff and councillors

• Development of non-digital engagement options for

are about ‘meaningful engagement and building partnerships with the community’.

Point 2, recommend:

On page 6, include key elements of community engagement to draw a distinction between customer services and day-to-day working relationships and planned engagement which is intended to report on and inform decisions.

Reporting back on outcomes of engagement is an important part of this strategy. As community engagement aims to represent a balanced view of stakeholders within the community, reporting will provide analysis of community feedback and published on the Councils website.

Each engagement varies in terms of how it is ‘assessed, weighted or incorporated into decision-making’ depending on the context, constraints and legislative requirements – for this reason it has been considered on page 13 ‘decision making in local government’, page 14 ‘roles and responsibilities’, page 30 ‘reporting and evaluation’.

Point 3:

Recommend inclusion of additional information on page 6 ‘introduction’ and page 12 ‘benefits of community engagement’ to demonstrate Council’s commitment to building genuine relationships, trust and goodwill.

Point 4, recommend for noting:

The spectrum against engagement activities has been set based on feedback from the broader community during consultation. Each step in the IAP2 spectrum requires more time, commitment and resource from the community and therefore consider this in seeking feedback.

Feedback in relation to ‘following changes’ to be considered in operational delivery of strategy.

• Third-party facilitation of controversial

5. Respectful Behaviour Works Both Ways

The emphasis on respectful behaviour should apply equally to staff and councillors as well. When elected representatives publicly refer to community groups in derogatory terms, it undermines any expectation of respectful dialogue. Respect starts at the top. Council may wish to amend the strategy outlining behavioural expectations for all participants in the engagement process including elected officials and staff with a commitment to holding everyone to the same standard.

6. Communication Follow-Through

Simply "endeavouring" to provide appropriate feedback isn't good enough council should commit to providing all necessary information to keep the community informed. The language needs to be changed to “will”.

On a more operational level - The CVC website ‘Report it’ function that asks if users want notification of outcomes but then sends an email stating "Council is unable to respond to you individually" exemplifies the disconnect. This could be easily achieved by updating the website functionality to either remove the notification option if it can't be honoured, or preferably, implement an automated system that provides status updates on reported issues.

7. Personal Experience

My recent experience seeking information from council illustrates the systemic barriers to transparency. Initially, staff assured me the requested information would be readily available. After several weeks of silence and a follow-up enquiry, I was unexpectedly directed to submit a formal GIPA application. Despite following this process, my request was ultimately denied, and I instead received volumes of irrelevant documentation. This frustrating approach highlights closed-door practices that consistently undermine meaningful community engagement and erodes public trust.

8 Summary

The low level of community satisfaction with CVC indicates significant changes are needed. This document could serve as a basic training manual for legislative requirements, but it lacks vision for genuine partnership with the community. I urge council to reintroduce language expressing a sincere desire to collaborate with the community and develop a strategy that goes beyond minimum requirements toward meaningful engagement that respects residents as partners in shaping our shared future.

I'm happy to discuss any of these recommendations further or participate in improving the strategy moving forward.

Point 5:

For noting, the Community Engagement Strategy informs the delivery of community engagement by Council officers in relation to Council services and project. It does not relate to behaviours of elected officials. In some isolated incidents in the past, staff and community have been exposed to inappropriate behaviour from the community. While we realise that this is only a small percentage of the community, we remain firm that any form of aggressive behaviour isn’t tolerated and provide the right to remove staff from situations that risk their emotional and physical wellbeing. As the strategy is written to guide staff, it is intended to support staff in making a decision to remove themselves from physical or psychological harm.

Point 6:

Recommend on page 30, under ‘communicating the outcomes of engagement’ change to read ‘Council will’.

Recommend for noting the feedback on ‘report it’ function. On page 6, for the purpose of this strategy, suggest providing more clarification on definition of community engagement as a planned process as opposed to community reporting issues through ‘report it’ function.

Point 7:

GIPA is a separate process and not to be confused with planned community engagement.

Point 8:

A meeting was held to discuss the strategy and touched on some of the points included.

Based on this meeting and feedback received verbally, recommend the following changes:

On page 20, add a page to include a model that explains the components of designing, planning, implementing and

Leonie Pankhurst

Tyringham

Sarah Eifermann

1. Due to the size of our LGA it is difficult for Councillors and staff to engage with all the communities especially outlying ones. I am aware of the role that exists within Council of a Community Engagement Officer but I think that it would be worthwhile to have someone in a paid role (maybe part-time or a few hours per week) in these communities as a Community Connector, someone who knows the communities and their concerns who can support what is currently a centralised community engagement framework.

To the Clarence Valley Council Engagement Team, The Maclean District Business Chamber welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Community Engagement and Participation Plan (CEPP). We acknowledge and support Council’s intention to improve how it engages with our community. However, the success of this plan hinges not on its creation, but on how it is applied. Without real, visible change particularly in communication, transparency, and accountability the CEPP risks becoming another compliance document that fails to deliver practical outcomes for the people who fund and depend on Council services.

1. Clarity and Consistency in Communication

Council must do better at communicating clearly and consistently. Our members routinely encounter contradictory information, vague advice, or delays in response that create uncertainty, cost additional funds and waste time. This is especially problematic when dealing with matters of compliance, development, infrastructure, or public policy.

We recommend:

• Implementing a single point of contact with structured handover procedures to ensure continuity when staff take leave or change roles.

• Utilising a case management system or ticketing software to ensure that every enquiry is trackable, actionable, up to date, and accountable.

• Publishing plain-language summaries of decisions, project updates, and consultation outcomes in a central and accessible format.

• Adopting communication benchmarks across departments to guarantee consistent and timely responses.

2. Transparency in Legislative and Decision-Making Processes

Council decisions particularly those that shape our built environment, economy, and planning frameworks must be subject to real-time public visibility and genuine input. At

reviewing engagement projects. On page 25, include further methods and make reference to IAP2 for further methods to encourage new ways of engaging.

As part of operational delivery, consider an online and offline panel of community that are interested in participating in, and championing, open engagements.

Point 1:

Recommend feedback noted. A Community Engagement Officer role exists within Council. Recommend reviewing ‘Community Connector’ idea as part of operational planning.

Agree with the notion that the success of community engagement hinges on how it is applied. An internal toolkit, resources and training are being delivered as part of the internal rollout of the strategy, as well as review of digital tools.

Point 1:

No change recommended to the community engagement strategy. Feedback noted for operational delivery against multiple strategies and actions.

Point 2, recommend for noting:

The community will only be asked for feedback where there is a genuine opportunity to influence a decision. This may be constrained by legislation, technical complexity or available resources.

Early engagement is central to the entire Community Engagement Strategy and is used where initial insights and community knowledge is important to inform a direction. There would be a significant cost to council and the community to engage on every item of council business and therefore is determined based on constraints, impact and scale of a project. Feedback from the community in drafting the strategy suggested that the community doesn’t want to be over-engaged on many items and wish to be kept informed as

Maclean

present, many key decisions appear to be made behind closed doors or presented to the community with limited explanation or opportunity to influence outcomes. We are seeing a large number of “operational decisions” that remove community consultation, and/or Council decision making processes. Labelling decisions as “operational” does not excuse Council (staff) from its duty to consult especially when those decisions materially affect the community.

Additionally, we must call attention to the issue of online meeting accessibility and livestreaming of Council meetings. Community members who rely on live-stream access frequently report poor-quality streams, limited and granulated camera views, and the premature termination of livestream feeds particularly during critical discussions or voting segments. This not only undermines confidence but creates a perception of deliberate opacity. In an era where technology enables full public visibility, there is no excuse for these issues to persist.

We recommend:

• Introducing early-stage community engagement on strategic documents and policies, not just feedback on finished drafts; and that this occurs of outside of normal business hours to enable majority of the public to attend/participate.

• Publishing council officer advice, voting records, and rationale for decisions in a clear, timely and accessible way.

• Creating public dashboards or decision registers to track how feedback has influenced Council direction.

• Improving the quality and reliability of online Council meeting streams, ensuring full sessions are recorded and retained without abrupt termination.

• Providing multiple camera angles, clear audio, and timestamps to allow the community to follow proceedings without ambiguity.

• Adopting a firm commitment that livestreams will not be cut short, and if technical issues arise, a full replay must be published as soon as possible (same day). The current gaps in visibility only serve to reinforce community distrust and raise concerns of deliberate avoidance of scrutiny. These can and must be addressed as a priority if Council is serious about regaining public confidence.

3. Operational Continuity and Resourcing Gaps

We consistently hear from businesses and community members that Council’s internal resourcing is so thin that when one staff member is unavailable, everything stalls. This creates bottlenecks and confusion. Even more troubling is when a new staff member gives a completely different answer to the same question reflecting a lack of internal consistency, clear procedures, or quality control. We recommend:

• Investing in cross-training and procedural documentation to ensure no individual staff absence can cause systemic delays.

• Developing an internal knowledge base and tracking system (ticketed/case) to ensure continuity of advice and decision-making.

• Embedding a culture of consistency and responsiveness across all departments and teams.

4. Accountability to Ratepayers

reflected on page 22. The Community Engagement Strategy identifies the importance of making public the feedback of stakeholders and how this has informed decisions. A standardised reporting format will be developed as part of internal tools for staff.

Point 3:

Noted for feedback in relation to council operations. Not considered as part of planned community engagement. Internal resources and process are being reviewed, as well as internal training, to assist staff in delivering engagement in line with the Community Engagement Strategy.

Point 4:

Outcomes of the Community Engagement Strategy will be reported as part of reporting against the Operational Plan.

Point 5:

Business and industry are noted as an important stakeholder on page 18. Specific channels and engagement is undertaken with the business community under the economic development and tourism team. This includes engagement with existing business networks, primarily chambers.

Recommend, on page 28, add ‘how the industry can be involved’.

Nikkoela Raffinde

While we understand that the Office of Local Government (OLG) requires the development of documents like the CEPP and acknowledge that significant time and money go into their preparation and enactment, these documents only hold value for the ratepayer if they are used effectively. This means embedding them into daily operations and holding Council staff accountable for living up to the principles they contain.

Right now, we are not seeing this accountability in practice. Council’s performance is often disconnected from the strategic intent of its plans. If these documents are treated as compliance exercises rather than operational standards, they fail the very people they are meant to serve, and in the process exhaust significant rate payer funds.

We therefore recommend:

• That Council commit to public, transparent reporting on CEPP implementation, with measurable KPIs and performance reviews.

• That the CEPP is accompanied by an internal accountability framework to ensure all Council staff align with its commitments and are held to consistent standards.

• That ratepayers are offered direct insight into the return on investment for documents and strategies developed using public funds.

5. Meaningful Engagement with the Business Community

The business community is a cornerstone of economic development and civic life in the Clarence Valley. We bring jobs, services, and investment yet are often left out of decision-making processes that impact us most.

We recommend:

• Establishing business-specific consultation channels, including advisory panels or targeted engagement sessions.

• Assign a budget to this facilitation, ensuring business owners receive best practice outcomes, and potential for time commensurate compensation for advisory.

• Ensuring engagement strategies are practical and timeconscious, taking into account the realities of running a business.

• Making economic and planning policies understandable and relevant to nonexperts, so all business owners can meaningfully engage.

Final Comments

The CEPP is a necessary document but its value lies not in its existence, but in its execution. For it to have a meaningful impact, Council must go beyond compliance and commit to embedding clear, transparent communication, consistent service delivery, and strong internal accountability at every level. This includes ensuring that ratepayer funded plans don’t sit idle but are reflected in day-to-day operations.

The Chamber calls on Council to meaningfully address the issues raised in this submission and to take clear, demonstrable steps toward greater transparency, accountability, and consistency. Delivering on these expectations is critical to rebuilding trust and supporting a stronger Clarence Valley community.

1. Community Engagement Strategy & Community Engagement Policy: We are extremely fortunate to live Point 1:

Feeback received and addressed under Community Engagement Policy report.

in a community that still has Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr & Yaegl Aboriginal Elders. And to do this “community business” “right way” our Aboriginal Elders need to be factored in as a primary and independent authoritative body sitting alongside & perhaps in between the Mayor and the Mayor and Councillors to be consulted in all situations deemed necessary with regards “country” & “land use”. . period. Without a doubt traditional indigenous knowledge and expertise in both these areas is something, we as a culture, still have a great deal to learn and benefit from.

In acknowledging the importance of engagement with the First Nation people, Council works on a separate First Nation Engagement Framework, which is developed in collaboration with First Nations groups.

Recommend reference to this First Nations Engagement Framework is included in the policy.

Recommend further discussion in guiding the improvements to the First Nations Engagement Framework learning from the community and what has worked in other regions.

Terence Hudson

James Creek

1. I strongly feel community are not being engaged in decisions Council is making, after all they are supposed to be working on behalf of the community and not against us, they are also not providing the public community with all of the information regarding the changes they are making. One of these being the Termination Letters to Semi-Permanent Sites at Wooli / Minnie Water /Brooms Head / Iluka Caravan Parks. If some communication had been received prior to the two letters of notice received, since Council has supposedly been talking about a change for some years, would only be a responsible and respectable thing to do for the community involved, instead of sending letters of notification. Better Communication is definitely required.

To Clarence Valley Council, firstly your submission criteria is restrictive for many who aren't conversent with the upload of files you require, eg if i write over 250 words i have to upload a file in pdf, doc or docx. Most people can't do that or know how to ,on mobile phone, so please make that easier, but it allows 2000 characters but if it is over 250 words upload it, how confusing characters/word. Painful CVC. So eg i have to write it on my notepad and then convert it to pdf. We all don't have computers or laptops now !!!!!!

Comments, concerns and suggestions.

Need for community-style meetings Drop-in sessionsdisadvantages

Accessibility - mobility issues and public transport

availability

Need to supplement use of social media and email with print media, particularly weekly local newspaper

Need to work with the community Councillor public conduct - in meetings, deputations, social media and on radio

SUBMISSION RE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

STRATEGY 2025-2029 including the Community Participation Plan

Preamble

As I have not studied the strategy in detail, my comments and suggestions are of a general nature and stem from my experience of following Council affairs and interacting with Council, particularly over the last few years. However, I have been coming to the Clarence Valley since 1979 and relocated to Yamba in 2002.

Point 1:

No changes recommended to the Community Engagement Strategy as it addresses how Council plans, delivers and reports on planned engagement.

Recommend that feedback is noted for consideration in operational delivery of the strategy including review of forms and regular assistance at local libraries to assist residents in making submissions using computers.

Valuable feedback from firsthand experience and attendance at many community engagement sessions. Recommend that feedback is noted as part of operational delivery of the Community Engagement Strategy.

Community-style meetings are one form of engagement that Council may use in planning an engagement and included on page 26. Recommend inclusion of additional engagement methods including community visioning, community working groups, co-design and world café.

Accessibility including public

Leanne Bamford Grafton

Deirdre Lawrie

Yamba

Community briefings

There is a real need for Council to take a proactive role in implementing community briefings on significant issues and plans in a timely fashion. These briefings/forums need to precede any action taken by Council. They need to be in the form of an information/presentation session and include a Q&A and feedback session. Community members could submit questions in advance so that they can be answered as part of the presentation. Questions could also be submitted anonymously in writing at the start of the meeting and be taken orally from the floor. The anonymous written question format was used very successfully during the 9 September 2024 Meet the Candidates Council Election Forum held at Yamba Bowling Club where the questions provided were asked by the Master of Ceremonies and questions of a similar nature could be condensed into one.

Anonymous questions are very useful for people who do not like public speaking or who do not wish to be identified. Such meetings would require only one or two staff to attend for a period of 2 to 3 hours instead of 6 or 7 staff attending multiple drop-in sessions for up to 4 hours.

The advantage of community meetings is that everyone attending can be informed by listening to everyone else’s comments and questions and the responses to those questions. At drop-in sessions people only hear what is being said for the time that they have dropped in. If several conversations are going on concurrently or if you are at a distance from the other people talking, as occurs with the drop-in format, you will not hear those conversations no matter how good your hearing is.

Drop-in sessions are an inefficient and ineffective engagement tool. I have attended several meetings organised by community groups and Chambers of Commerce over the last few years and they have all been well run with a safe atmosphere. All these meetings (listed below) had a large attendance which demonstrates that there is a real desire for community-style meetings on important issues.

Meet the Candidates for State Election 2023 held at Yamba Cinema, hosted by Yamba Chamber of Commerce

Meet the Candidates for Council Election 3 September 2024 held at Maclean Bowling Club, hosted by Maclean Chamber of Commerce Meet the Candidates for Council Election 9 September 2024 held at Yamba Bowling Club

Zoom Meeting October 2022 for NRPP Meeting re Parkside DA, Yamba, held at Yamba Golf Club

Yamba Flood Information Meeting April 2024 hosted by Yamba CAN held at Yamba Golf Club

Iluka Focus Group meeting re Draft Revised Local Housing Strategy, 29 August 2024

Yamba Water Issues Meeting 4 February 2025, presented by Mr Greg Mashiah, CVC Manager - Technical Services, hosted by Yamba CAN

Land and Environment Court On-site Conciliation Conference re DA 52-54 Miles St, Yamba, 14 February 2025 Another meeting on Water Issues, hosted by Yamba CAN presented by Mr Greg Mashiah will be held on Tuesday 29 April 2025.

Community organisations hold meetings on important issues because Council does not. When Council staff and Councillors are invited to attend these meetings, it is

transport considerations is included on page 19. No change recommended.

Council currently uses a combination of social, email and weekly local newspaper. No changes recommended.

Councillor conduct is not covered under the Community Engagement Strategy – it is covered under Councillor Code of Meeting Practice.

Community is recognised as an important source of information and expertise – consider adding clarity in page 12 ‘benefits of community engagement’.

Janette Davidson Kremnos

important that some of them do so.

Venues for community engagement meetings and drop-in sessions

Accessible by public transport, close to a bus stop. Coordinated with bus timetable/s, taking account of arrival and departure times. Busways 380 route from Yamba to Grafton via Maclean operates approximately 2 hourly.

Indoors to provide shelter from the elements – sun, heat, humidity, rain, wind.

Seating needs to be available for those with mobility or other health issues.

Minimal background noise.

Microphone to be used by presenters and attendees at community briefings to enable everyone to hear.

Drop-in sessions – comments

I do not think that drop-in sessions are an effective use of staff resources. I have attended several drop-in sessions and on two occasions have been the only person there for up to an hour while there were 6 or 7 staff present.

I also think drop-in sessions are superficial because many people do not know what to ask until they hear others’ questions. Also, it can be daunting for many people to go up on their own to talk to so many staff.

Social media/email noticeboard/web site

CVC relies heavily on social media, email and its website for communication. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to use these forms of communication.

A significant number of people are not computer literate and/or do not have access to a computer. And some people using email and social media may only use it to communicate with family and friends.

It can be difficult accessing information via CVC’s website, it is not very user-friendly.

Print media

CVC could make more use of print media to keep people who are not reachable by electronic means informed. This needs to be done in a timely fashion in a local newspaper, preferably the Clarence Valley Independent (CVI). My enquiries to newsagents in Yamba, Maclean and Grafton showed that, at those outlets, sales of the CVI far outnumber sales of the Northern Rivers Times.

Information in a local weekly newspaper is timely, and consequently preferable, to Council’s glossy, quarterly Clarence Magazine.

Councillor behaviour in meetings/deputations/on radio and on social media

Councillor behaviour is a facet of community engagement. I would like to see Councillors refraining from making inappropriate or dismissive comments about other Councillors, community members and community organisations in Council meetings, deputations, on radio and in social media.

Community as a resource

There is a wealth of knowledge, skills, and work experience in the Clarence Valley community in many fields, in the current workforce or retired. Administration, construction, engineering, architecture and planning, biological sciences, health services, teaching and so on. I would like to see Council work with the community to draw on this pool of knowledge and experience.

Dear Clarence Valley Council's,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to urge the immediate implementation of best practices for the restoration of creeks and rivers in our area, as outlined in

Feedback isn’t related to the Community Engagement Strategy.

Reassigned to the

the Local Land Service Booklet.

The Booklet specifically advises the restoration of riparian vegetation to a minimum of 50 meters on each side of rivers, and 10 to 15 meters on each side of creeks, in order to promote healthier ecosystems, improve water quality, and support biodiversity.

Given the crucial role that healthy riparian zones play in sustaining local environments, I believe it is essential that we prioritize these actions without delay. The restoration of these vital green corridors is not only necessary for ecological health but will also contribute to the resilience of our waterways against erosion, flooding, and other environmental pressures.

By taking proactive steps to restore and protect these areas, we can create a lasting positive impact for both the environment and our community. I respectfully request that the Council take immediate steps to ensure these recommendations are implemented as a priority and that the necessary resources are allocated to achieve this. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and seeing the positive changes that will benefit our local environment for generations to come.

“Healthy riparian zones (the land alongside creeks, streams, gullies, rivers and wetlands) can support clean water by filtering and trapping sediment and nutrients, stabilise banks and provide habitat for plants and animals. * Erosion is accelerated when little or no vegetation exists on or near the streambank to bind soil together. Pasture grass alone does little to protect riverbank soil from flood events. * The bigger the waterway, the wider the riparian zone needs to be to withstand the impacts of flood events. For major rivers (stream orders 3 and 4), the riparian zone should be greater than 50 metres wide on both sides of the bank. For minor creeks and gullies (stream order 1 and 2), riparian zones should be at least 10-20 metres wide on both sides of the banks. Wide, healthy and continuous riparian zones offer the greatest protection from erosion damage. * Riverbanks/riparian zones require a mixture of local native reeds, grasses, shrubs and trees that have different root types (example: fibrous, tap, creeping, or tuberous) to help bind and hold the soil in place, and keep it from washing away during floods. * Livestock can cause erosion by compacting soil, creating ruts, trampling vegetation, spreading weeds and browsing native vegetation.”

lla.nsw.gov.au/floods “Flood recovery guide for landholders” Oct 2022 NSW Government

From: "noreply@clarence.nsw.gov.au" <noreply@clarence.nsw.gov.au>

Sent: Sun, 25 May 2025 09:12:23 +1000

To: "Forms" <forms@clarence.nsw.gov.au>

Subject: (ECM:2760172) Submission - Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26 - Tamara Prentice

Attachments: CV IPR submission HPEUG.docx

Categories: ECM

Submission - Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26 - Tamara Prentice

Contact details

First name Tamara

Last name Prentice

Phone number

Address SOUTH GRAFTON 2460

Suburb SOUTH GRAFTON

State South Grafton

Postcode 2460

Submission details

Item on public submission Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26

Comments

Hawthorne Park is the only dedicated equestrian facility in the Clarence Valley. It is shared by 10 equestrian clubs,

representing a large proportion of the Valleys rural community. A part of the community which does not benefit from the usual parks and open spaces facilities. This facility in 2024 hosted the National Stock Horse Youth Show, and in 2025 will host the State Pony Club dressage and show rising championships (as well as a large variety of local and regional events). These events draw competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy.

The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places. This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road.

We also ask for consideration to allocation of $500,000 for a covered arena to support the CV’s bids to host regional training camps for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics, and to support local rural communities to keep livestock fit during prolonged wet weather.

Please upload any additional supporting documents CV IPR submission HPEUG.docx

Submission to IP&R documents on behalf of Hawthorne Park

Summary:

This facility in 2024 hosted the National Stock Horse Youth Show, and in 2025 will host the State Pony Club dressage and show rising championships (as well as a large variety of local and regional events). These events draw competitors from across Australia injecting external money into the Valleys economy.

The park has been used for various emergency responses, including a fire evacuation centre for animals, and COVID jab site. These uses have left the road unusable in places.

This submission therefore is seeking amendments to the IP&R framework to recognise the need for Open Spaces maintnenance, and specifically $100,000 in 25/26 to complete the rebuild of Hawthorne Parks access road.

Financial struggles:

Other CV facilities for the equestrian community have become shared with other uses which have ultimately led to them being unusable for regional, State and larger local events. Eg Maclean showgrounds introduced camping to fund basic maintenance, and is now generally unavailable for Pony Club leading to that club becoming non-functional. Grafton Showgrounds share with the raceway, the debris from cars being dangerous for horses, it also does not have the dressage arenas required for multifunctional horse events.

Hawthorne however is not maintained to even a basic level by Council. Volunteers have been applying for grants, running working bees and undertaking general maintenance such as washer replacement in taps, mowing and screwing up fallen timbers. Various responses from Council staff advise the operational budget is discretionary and Hawthorne is not included in budgets for maintenance.

We therefore make the following submission to the IP&R framework:

Draft delivery Program 25/26 to 28/29

The draft Delivery Program does not include at face value maintenance of existing parks and reserves. There is no reference to Park maintenance in the Infrastructure Strategic Theme, despite 'Infrastructure that supports community connection' being a strategy in the plan.

It does refer to "Sustainably develop and manage the CV Visitor Economy by delivering the Destination Management Plan" which can be read to include the development of Hawthorne Park, however does not extend to maintenance of parks generally. This Strategy is also allocated to the Communication and Engagement Section, so would not be a deliverable of the Open Spaces section.

It is suggested an additional “Strategy” is included in the CSP Objective Well serviced communities with access to essential infrastructure including water, sewerage, public amenities and facilities to reflect the need for open spaces maintenance.

Draft Operational Plan

Following from the comments above, the Draft Operational Plan includes a Strategy EC3.3 under the Economy heading to ‘Sustainably develop and manage the CV Visitor Economy by delivering the Destination Management Plan’ and then includes specific promotion activities, however no corresponding action is included to maintain or develop those sports tourism destination facilities.

It is suggested an additional Action is included under Objective IN2 to make it clear that this relates to parks and open spaces as well as water, sewer and CBD upgrades.

In its current format Draft Operational Plan includes that the CV Destination Management Plan includes Action 4.8 to Support the attraction and continued development of participatory sporting events and advocate for the regional hosting of training camps and sporting events including for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games.

Hawthorne Park is a candidate for the hosting of regional training camps for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games, as well as the planned and future opportunities to continue to host National and regional sporting events however will require works to remain usable.

Currently half the road has been upgraded (thank you to the previous Councillors for requiring staff to do this). The remainder of the road is a pot holed quagmire with people (including Council staff) driving on the grass to avoid the damaged road. This is estimated to be around $100,000 based on the last works to be completed.

Further to be competitive for regional Olympic training camps a covered arena would be required. This would additionally provide weather proof opportunities for the local community (who are currently travelling to Casino to keep horses going in the current weather). This activity has been listed as a key need at Hawthorne Park in about 40 years of strategic planning, yet has never become a priority for Council. It is estimated this would cost approximately $500,000.

Thank you for your consideration

Tamara Prentice President

Hawthorne Park Equestrian User Gro

From: "noreply@clarence.nsw.gov.au" <noreply@clarence.nsw.gov.au>

Sent: Wed, 21 May 2025 14:18:40 +1000

To: "Forms" <forms@clarence.nsw.gov.au>

Subject: Submission - Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26Ensby

Attachments: Submission to the Council toilets.docx, Council toilets.docx, council_.doc

Categories:

Submission - Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26 - Pru Ensby

Contact details

First name Pru

Last name Ensby

Phone number

Address C/- Maclean showground Cameron Street - P.O. Box 175 Maclean

Suburb Maclean

State NSW

Postcode 2463

Submission details

Item on public submission Integrated Planning & Reporting Documents for 2025 - 26

Comments

We, the users of the showground, submit this document to respectfully request the council’s attention to the urgent need for updated toilet and shower facilities. In May 2022, during the renovation of our building "The Clydesdale," the toilets and showers were removed. They were meant to be replaced in a new building on the grounds, as per consultation with David Sutton and Peter Birch. Despite numerous letters sent by patrons and visitors voicing their concerns, the current amenities remain inadequate to meet the needs of users, particularly during events. Furthermore, our request for these upgrades to be considered in the 2024/2025 council budget was not granted, leaving this critical issue unresolved. After we had been advised that this would be then included in the 2025/206 council budget which it seems that it hasn't. Additionally, we were informed by Peter Birch and David Sutton, both former employees of the Clarence Valley Council (CVC), that a new amenity block would be built and that the CVC had the funds allocated for this purpose. This submission aims to emphasize the necessity of improvements and to propose actionable measures to address this pressing problem.

Please upload any additional supporting documents

Submission to the Council toilets.docx Council toilets.docx council_.doc

Submission to the Council: Request for Updated Toilet and Shower Facilities at the Showground

Addressing the Urgent Need for Adequate Amenities

Introduction

We, the users of the showground, submit this document to respectfully request the council’s attention to the urgent need for updated toilet and shower facilities. In May 2022, during the renovation of our building "The Clydesdale," the toilets and showers were removed. They were meant to be replaced in a new building on the grounds, as per consultation with David Sutton and Peter Birch. Despite numerous letters sent by patrons and visitors voicing their concerns, the current amenities remain inadequate to meet the needs of users, particularly during events. Furthermore, our request for these upgrades to be considered in the 2024/2025 council budget was not granted, leaving this critical issue unresolved. Additionally, we were informed by Peter Birch and David Sutton, both former employees of the Clarence Valley Council (CVC), that a new amenity block would be built and that the CVC had the funds allocated for this purpose. This submission aims to emphasize the necessity of improvements and to propose actionable measures to address this pressing problem.

Current State of Facilities

The existing toilet and shower facilities at the showground are outdated and do not adequately support the growing number of users. The current amenities consist of one urinal, two toilets, and two showers. Each unit combines a toilet and shower together, meaning that at times, only one toilet and shower is available for use. This setup is grossly inadequate, especially during events where the showground must cater to upwards of 100 competitors and visitors. For example, during last year’s Maclean Show, the Show Society had to hire two portable toilets to meet the demand for facilities, highlighting the urgent need for permanent upgrades. Issues of patrons being lined up to use shower facilities at 5.30am where someone is using the toilet, and the shower can't be used.

Issues that have been repeatedly raised include:

• Insufficient number of toilets and showers to accommodate the volume of visitors during events.

• Issue of having the toilet and shower in the same unit where they can't be used separately.

• Poor maintenance and hygiene standards, leading to an unpleasant experience for users.

• Lack of accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

• Non-functional or unreliable fixtures, including broken faucets, leaking pipes, and inadequate water pressure.

These conditions significantly impact the experience of visitors, amplifying concerns during events where the demand for facilities is at its peak. The inadequacy of these amenities undermines the showground’s ability to serve as a welcoming and functional venue for community gatherings, cultural events, and recreational activities.

Community Sentiment

Over the past few years, numerous letters have been sent to the council by users of the showground, expressing dissatisfaction with the state of the amenities and urging for updates. The overwhelming consensus highlights:

• A strong demand for modern, clean, and user-friendly facilities.

• Concerns over health and safety due to the poor condition of existing amenities.

• A willingness among the community to collaborate with the council to find feasible solutions.

Despite these efforts and our specific request for these necessary upgrades to be included in the 2024/2025 council budget, no action has been taken to address this critical need. The lack of progress has left users feeling frustrated and overlooked.

Proposed Upgrades

We propose the following updates to the toilet and shower facilities to meet current standards and user expectations:

• Construction of a new amenity block, as previously indicated by former Clarence Valley Council employees Peter Birch and David Sutton.

• Installation of additional toilets and shower units to cater to increased visitor numbers.

• Upgrading existing fixtures with durable and water-efficient models.

• Regular maintenance schedules to ensure cleanliness and functionality.

• Design modifications to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

• Implementation of eco-friendly measures, such as water-saving technologies and renewable energy sources for heating.

These upgrades will not only enhance user satisfaction but also align with sustainable practices and modern infrastructure standards.

Conclusion

We urge the council to prioritize the enhancement of toilet and shower facilities at the showground. These improvements are critical to ensuring the well-being and comfort of users, fostering community pride, and positioning the showground as a premier venue for events and activities. The missed opportunity to address this issue in the 2024/2025 council budget and now to be left out of the 2025/2026 budget only heightens the urgency to act now. Additionally, we respectfully remind the council of previous commitments made by Peter Birch and David Sutton regarding the construction of a new amenity block, which the Show Society were advised to get a quotation which was forwarded on to council at the time, emphasizing the need to fulfill this promise. We welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further and to collaborate on a plan that benefits both the council and the community.

Next Steps

We respectfully request the council to:

• Conduct an immediate assessment of the current amenities.

• Allocate funding and resources for the proposed upgrades in the 2025/2026 council budget.

• Engage with users of the showground to gather additional feedback and suggestions.

• Provide a timeline for the completion of improvements.

We believe that addressing this issue will have a lasting positive impact on the community and the showground’s future success. Thank you for considering our submission.

Sincerely,

Pru Ensby Maclean Show Society Secretary info@macleanshow.org.au

President: Robert Sutherland 0438453281

Secretary: Pru Ensby Ph: 0429 106 988

Treasurer: Jane Jesser

Web site: macleanshow.org

Email: info@macleanshow.org

PO Box 175

Maclean NSW 2463

15th November 2024

Rachelle Passmore

C/- Clarence Valley Council

Maclean NSW 2463

Dear Rachelle,

I am writing to you on behalf of the of Maclean Show Society. In May 2022 our building “The Clydesdale” had a renovation which removed our showers & toilets. These were meant to be replaced in a new building on the grounds, as per consultation with David Sutton & Peter Birch. It was then advised that the council didn’t receive a grant for this to happen and since then there has not been any effort to replace these facilities at all.

We then asked for support for these to be considered to be part on the 2024/2025 council budget as without these important facilities it is making it extremely difficult to hold an event at the Maclean Showground. Which we have been advised this was not considered.

We are at a loss as to why this doesn’t seem to be a priority with the council. The current toilet/shower facility is inadequate for the amount of people that the showground can hold. If someone is wanting to use the toilet and there is already someone in the shower the toilet isn’t accessible. We feel this issue needs to be addressed.

Kind regards

Per Robert Sutherland President Maclean Show Society

I am writing to you on behalf of the Maclean Show Society. In May 2022, our building, “The Clydesdale,” underwent renovations that resulted in the removal of our showers and toilets. As discussed with David Sutton and Peter Birch, these facilities were supposed to be replaced with a new building on the grounds. However, we were later informed that the council did not receive a grant for this project, and since then, there has been no effort to replace these essential facilities. We requested that these facilities be included in the 2024/2025 council budget, as their absence makes it extremely difficult to hold events at the Maclean Showground. Unfortunately, we have been informed that this request was not considered. We are puzzled as to why this issue does not seem to be a priority for the council. The current toilet and shower facilities are inadequate for the number of people the showground can accommodate.

If someone is using the shower, the toilet becomes inaccessible. We strongly believe that this issue needs to be addressed.

President: Brian Ferrie Ph: 66452910

Secretary: Pru Ensby Ph: 0429 106 988

Treasurer: Jane Jesser

Web site: macleanshow.org.au

Email: info@macleanshow.org.au

Dear Councillors,

PO Box 175 Maclean NSW 2463

22nd March 2024

I am writing to you on behalf of the user groups of Maclean Showgrounds. In May 2022 our building “The Clydesdale” had a renovation which removed our showers & toilets. These were meant to be replaced in a new building on the grounds, as per consultation with David Sutton & Peter Birch. It was then advised that the council didn’t receive a grant for this to happen and since then there has not been any effort to replace these facilities at all. We are asking for your support for these to be considered to be part on the 2024/2025 council budget as without these important facilities it is making it extremely difficult to hold an event at the Maclean Showground. Kind regards

Maclean Show Society Lower Clarence Pony Club Maclean Show Society Campdraft

Brian Ferrie President Maclean Show Society