Mayoral Column 25th November 2020
Published on 25 November 2020
Endorsement for future growth of our region
On Monday we received exciting news, when we were notified that our Goulburn Mulwaree Urban & Fringe Housing Strategy has been endorsed by the NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
The ambitious strategy sets out a vision for the ongoing growth of Goulburn and Marulan, with a total of 3,359 new homes predicted to be built in the area to accommodate population growth by 2036. Over 2,600 of these homes will be built in Goulburn, with this growth to predominantly occur in the North (Marys Mount), with some housing growth to continue to the West of Goulburn.
It was an enormous task to look at our city with a blank map and begin to plan where the growth will continue for the next fifteen to twenty years. Key considerations for us were the provision of infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage but also ensuring we can provide green space and a high standard of public amenities. Council will now be able to undertake further master planning for this infrastructure.
We undertook multiple rounds of community consultation and engaged with Government Departments early in the process. As a Council we appreciate all of the feedback received from the community whether from a developer or a resident with concerns – this helped shape the document.
Finally I would like to mention the efforts of our Strategic Planning team and all of the other staff who worked on the project, which was one of the most important bits of planning work ever undertaken in Goulburn Mulwaree.
The primary goal of the Strategy is to provide for future residential growth with a diversity of housing supply including standard residential lots of approximately 700sqm, rural residential lots, as well as infill areas in and around the Goulburn CBD where further medium density residential development is proposed.
Australia Day Awards
Council alongside the Australia Day Committee are planning for the 2021 Australia Day Celebrations to be held in Victoria Park.
The event will be held in a COVID Safe manner, with numbers limited and social distancing guidelines in place. This is subject to change, and will be dependent on the NSW Government guidelines as we approach January 26 2021.
The Australia Day Committee is now accepting nominations for the Local Citizen of the Year Awards in three categories:
- Citizen of the Year
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Community Event of the Year
Nomination forms are available to fill in on our website on the Australia Day 2021 page under the ‘Community’ heading. They can also be printed or collected from the Civic Centre, 184 Bourke Street. They can then be emailed to council@goulburn.nsw.gov.au, dropped into the Civic Centre or sent by mail to Locked Bag 22, Goulburn, NSW.
Encouraging responsible pet ownership
Council has recently completed an audit of our companion animal registration, in line with new regulatory requirements through the Office of Local Government.
The audit revealed a high percentage of dogs and cats in our community are not registered, and also that a number of cats in our community have not been desexed by 4 months of age which requires their owners to have an annual permit.
It is important that all pet owners in our community play their role by registering your animal, and paying a permit if you choose to not desex your cat. The audit we have recently undertaken was a requirement through the Office of Local Government but did reveal we have an issue with registration of pets in our community, which is why we are now addressing this.
It’s important to note that this is not revenue raising by Council, as registration is a state requirement fee that registers the animal for its lifetime.
Further, on 20 November 2020 Council was advised by the Office of Local Government that they made further changes in relation to the annual permits that came into effect from 1 July 2020 for non- desexed cats and cats not desexed by 4 months of age. These changes are:
- If your cat was desexed by 1 July 2020 a permit is NOT required.
- The lifetime registration fee of $50.00 (for cats) is still required and needs to be paid by the due date on the letter you have received.
Cats that were desexed after the 1st of July 2020 and over 4 months of age are required to pay a one off permit fee of $80 + $50 lifetime registration fee.