The draft designs for the foreshore and village centre focus on key aspects of the Crescent Head Area Master Plan, aiming to increase public open space, improve connections between spaces on the foreshore and create a village centre.

The project has generated a significant amount of community interest to date with almost 4000 visits to the Your Say Macleay website and 100 submissions already made.

The majority of positive comments have focused on the improved connectivity, pedestrian safety and the potential for increased green space, while the three proposed options for parking layout on the foreshore have proved the biggest point of discussion.

Council have updated the project page on the site to address many of the questions that have come from the community concerning parking and the available footprint for the foreshore designs, as well as providing more background to the project and decision making process.

The submissions received will be compiled, evaluated and consistent themes or issues will be reviewed and addressed by the project team. This review stage may result in changes being made to the plans which could mean additional engagement and clarification.

Kempsey Shire Council general manager, Craig Milburn, encouraged the community to inspect the plans and have their say but noted that the purpose of the process is to gain community insight, and that funding is not in place to deliver all the project at this stage.

"Crescent Head is one of our most treasured areas and this process is designed to road test the plans that had been developed through extensive community workshops. Once we've developed an approved final plan, that document becomes crucial in our efforts to seek funding.

"Council are actively seeking grant funding to support these works and aim to progress the first stages as soon as possible."

The community feedback around the original area masterplan identified improving parking and traffic flow as a priority and that concern has been seen again in many responses to the draft designs.

The Crescent Head Traffic Management and Parking Plan, that is available on Your Say Macleay, was undertaken in 2019 and used to inform the car park layout options in the designs. The layout plans have sought to find a balance between the traffic and safety issues, parking demands and the identified need for improved connectivity within the recreational space.

By engaging the community on these foreshore layout plans and assessing the submissions council will endeavour to understand community priorities to finalise a plan that achieves a reasonable balance between parking and recreation space.

Council reminded the community that while they are thrilled to see people engaged with the designs and discussing them across multiple platforms, formal submissions regarding the Public Domain Project must be made in writing either by:

Making a submission through these methods will ensure your opinions are part of the evaluation completed before any recommendations are made to council.

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