2013/2014 Annual State of the City Report

2013/2014

Annual State of the City Report

Photo: Daily Liberal

Message from the Mayor Douglas Hofstadter quoted his recursive time-related law in relation to the difficulty of estimating the time that a complex task will take. “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.” This is by no means an excuse for projects taking a long period of time, but just a reality of life.

When we consider the vision of our residents and Council team in creating our Dubbo 2036 document, it would be ideal if all of these plans and projects could be here now. The reality is that, apart from just the financial constraints, many of these projects take a significant amount of time to bring to fruition.

Consider for a moment some of the projects we will see realised over our next twelve months in this wonderful City – and consider the planning that has gone into those projects. Barden Park Athletics Centre, after more than a year of planning, had a Master Plan adopted in July 2010. In September 2011 we were successful in obtaining a combination of Federal and State funding and the construction of a state-of the-art facility is now nearing completion – a culmination of over five years of planning and construction.

The National Broadband Network is another example of a project that will have enormous benefit for the City. The first fibre connections will occur in the middle of 2015 – five years after then Mayor Allan Smith and I first met with NBN Co. representatives.

Various representations and submissions have been made on this issue and now Dubbo will be only one of two Evocities with fibre connections.

The Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets is a facility that injects $47.7 million into our economy each year. In 2010 Council began investigating funding options for upgrading the facility. A successful grant and good sales numbers have enabled us to commence upgrades that will be completed by the end of this year. Over four years from planning to completion.

September 2014

I could continue on in detail with many projects that will see the light of day over the next year: Centenary Anzac Day celebrations where planning started in June 2013; Old Dubbo Gaol refurbishment with a $1 million grant being announced in September 2013; ALDI Construction made possible by a change in our LEP which was gazetted in November 2011; Macquarie Homestay received $3.3 million to build much-needed patient accommodation after the committee had spent many years in planning and fundraising; the list goes on.

In addition to these projects, we are seeing a stronger economy in our City as witnessed by the annual growth in house prices and unit prices of 8.9 per cent and 6.7 per cent respectively. The growth in retail space at Orana Mall is an indicator of the strong retail environment and Council will take further steps this year to ensure the CBD remains strong.

The fantastic team of Councillors and staff we have at Dubbo City Council will continue to push to deliver a Dubbo that is currently tracking very well against the plan that you wanted. Our united team will continue to deliver a vibrant City that offers a wonderful lifestyle and a significant number of opportunities.

I present to you the 2013/2014 Annual State of the City Report.

Clr Mathew Dickerson Mayor of Dubbo

Dubbo in 2014 – A city on the up Dubbo is building a reputation as a thriving regional City and activity across the City in construction, business development and new investment is driving positive growth.

The City’s population stands at 40,975 with City planning and development based on a future population of 55,000.

In 2013/2014 Dubbo City Council determined 694 Development and Complying Development Applications totalling over $140.6M. On the residential front, Council approved 300 dwellings (including 64 medium density) with an average value of $241,548.

This construction is supporting continued positive growth for Dubbo as well as the provision of jobs, services and facilities across the City.

With 309 students enrolled at Charles Sturt University and the University of Sydney tertiary education options in Dubbo are also growing.

Across 17 categories of major criminal offences 40% were for malicious property damage and stealing from motor vehicles. Crime and anti-social behaviour is a continuing challenge for the community.

Performing, visual and cultural arts programs are common across the City and feature in many colourful events such as the Dubbo Eisteddfod, DREAM Festival and the Multicultural Festival.

The ongoing development of the Dubbo Regional Botanic Gardens also provides another attraction for families and visitors to the City.

The focussed partnerships among civic, business, community organisations and Government leaders are helping build pride and cohesiveness across Dubbo while addressing the key challenges the City faces.

Achievements in 2013/2014 R

Completion of Talbragar Street roundabout and Brisbane Street beautification

R R

Completion of terminal and carpark upgrade to Dubbo City Regional Airport

R

Finalisation of a multi-stakeholder Value Management Study to determine best strategy for improving safety at the South Dubbo Weir

R R R

$140.6 million worth of new development approved

Installation of rubber floor matting for cattle pens at the Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets

Highest number of housing development applications since 2004/2005 600 hours of community tree planting including National Tree Day at Wiradjuri Park.

Continuing and future projects Construction of the $5.7 million Regional Centre of Excellence for Athletics $3.3 million extension of Sheepyard facilities at Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets Adoption of a Commercial Areas Development Strategy Development of the Dubbo Zirconia Project by Alkane Resources Refurbishment of Old Dubbo Gaol $23.7 million upgrade of Dubbo Sewage Treatment Works Construction of a rock-fill ramp and fishway at South Dubbo weir NBN rollout across Dubbo Construction of Macquarie Homestay Accommodation Implementation of the Wiradjuri Park Master Plan and Regand Park Master Plan subject to funding Complete the redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital Construction of Old Mendooran Road – Talbragar River Crossing Rail realignment and crossing upgrade at Boothenba Road

Future challenges

Big picture outcomes in 2013/2014 Some projects that are now coming to fruition have been many years in the planning. This planning is not always publicly visible and there are many stages of lobbying, negotiation and financial planning before a sod can be turned in construction. An example of this is the $91 million redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital which will go a long way to ensuring Dubbo’s specialist health services are properly catered for.

The construction of the ALDI Supermarket, expansions at Orana Mall and the roll-out of the National Broadband Network across Dubbo will further enhance Dubbo’s built environment providing new services for the community.

Dubbo City Regional Airport received a $1.56 million upgrade to double the size of the departure lounge and add an extra 110 car spaces. Annual airport passenger numbers in 2013/2014 were 186,203, up 9.4% from 2012/2013.

Construction of the $5.7 million Regional Centre of Excellence for Athletics at Barden Park has progressed as have upgrades at the Dubbo Regional Livestock Markets which has accommodated periods of particularly high demand with 271,453 cattle and 1,588,704 sheep sold at the Markets during 2013/2014.

Combined sheep and cattle throughput make this facility the largest saleyards in the nation.

Other major projects are still in the planning stages. Examples include the Macquarie Homestay project which received $3.3 million from the Cobbora Transition Fund, safety improvements to the South Dubbo Weir and connecting the southern end of Sheraton Road with Boundary Road.

Hosting the Country v City Rugby League match saw Dubbo in the national spotlight.

Despite the cold and wet conditions, 9,627 spectators attended the game making it the third-highest attendance for this fixture in the past 10 years. Many high profile broadcasters, players, coaches, officials and visitors commended Dubbo on the quality of the field, the facilities and the welcoming people. This promotion helps build Dubbo’s strong reputation of having the facilities and community support to host major events.

Other promotions targeting metropolitan markets such as the 2UE Sydney Dubbo Experience Promotion, Evocities campaign and participation in the Wild Rhino!

Project have built a platform for positive promotion of Dubbo and attract more high profile events to the City.

A feature of 2013/2014 has been the continued cooperation across the three representative levels of Government in Dubbo and accessibility to the community.

Initiatives such as the ongoing Community Leaders’ breakfasts, developer forums and convening of the Minister’s Action Group are features of Dubbo’s cooperative leadership.

As Dubbo continues to grow, managing community priorities and exploring responsible ways to finance the ideas of the community will be required. Currently, this is done through the Annual Operational Plan and Budget, which identify priorities, responsibilities and budgets for the coming year.

Ageing infrastructure, changing community demographics and competitive funding processes will mean decisions need to be made about acceptable standards of infrastructure, funding priorities and cost savings to maintain a competitive advantage.

Dubbo 2036 has set the vision that Dubbo be a vibrant City of lifestyle and opportunity. How this vision is realised is a shared responsibility that requires active participation in the decisions which affect the City’s future.

Community Performance Indicators The following represents a snapshot of the City’s progress against tourism and development and environmental management community performance indicators for 2013/2014.

Performance of resident satisfaction with services and lifestyle is measured by a community survey which Dubbo City Council conducts every two years. This survey was last conducted in 2013 and reported in the 2012/2013 State of the City Report.

Population and pricing

40,975

4.9%

$305,000

Population – end 2013 Up 0.8%

Unemployment – end 2013 Up 0.1%

Median House Price – June 2014. Up 8.9%

$1.74KL

$222,000 Median Unit Price – June 2014. Up 6.7%

2013/2014 water use charge (14% below median for like utilities)

Tourism and development

406,000

455,000

694

285

Annual overnight visitors (12 months to March 2014) Up 3%

Annual Day Visits (12 months to March 2014) Down 14%

Development and Complying Development Applications Up 13%

New residents in 2013/2014 delivered through Evocities Up 2.5%

Environmental management

5HA Native vegetation planted by Dubbo City Council Down 37%

43,416 Tonnes of waste landfilled at Whylandra Waste Depot. Up 8.2%

7,914

0.38

401KL

16,480MWh

Tonnes of material diverted from waste stream for reuse or recycling. Down 5%

Tonnes of domestic waste generated per capita. Up 5%

Average household water consumption Down 6%

Council energy use Up 1.4% (1% generated from Council’s renewable energy sources)

Sources for statistics quoted in this report come from: Remplan using ABS stats, National Visitor Survey, Tourism Research Australia and Dubbo City Council.

Stay up-to-date The Dubbo 2036 Community Strategic Plan sets Council’s strategic direction. Effectively, every decision that Council now makes can be linked back to the 2036 Community Strategic Plan via the 2013-2017 Four Year Delivery Plan and the Annual Operational Plan and Budget.

The next Community Strategic Review and Four Year Delivery Plan will be conducted in 2017.

Further details of Dubbo 2036 outcomes against the Community Performance Indicators will be available in the 2013/2014 Annual Report to Residents.

All information relating to the Plan, including Council’s Delivery Program, strategies, actions and outcomes, can be found at:

dubbo2036.com.au

phone Dubbo City Council on 6801 4000.