By Dominique Tassell
Town planning meetings were held in Stanthorpe and Killarney on 3 and 4 November, highlighting concerns in the community.
Housing, business and tourism, and heritage, culture and character were the three issues Stanthorpe locals had the most to say on.
The housing crisis has been at the forefront of local conversation lately, with locals at the Stanthorpe meeting stating that locals already here need to be looked after and their housing prioritised over anyone wanting to move to the region.
They stated that they think Council should limit conversion of existing homes to things such as bed and breakfast facilities to ensure availability of existing facilities to permanent residents.
Locals also highlighted that they would like to see new uses of existing buildings instead of losing what one local referred to as our “unique cultural history”.
One local stated that Council needs to be more transparent about funding for organisations such as the Stanthorpe Historical Society.
A local also wrote down that Council should “support proven events to continue to grow to economic uplift that does not rely on internal spend”.
They stated this would bring cash into the region.
Many locals also highlighted their concerns over environmental issues, “because without a healthy environment and a good climate we and the world have nothing”.
In Killarney, tourism was a big focus.
Some locals said that a focus should be on improving tourism by building a bigger public profile, working on the streetscape, investing in walking tracks, and making more places for visitors to stop and sit in the shade.
Others said Killarney should work on diversifying tourism opportunities and improving tourist roads and accommodation.
But some locals said that tourists are not always a positive, and some need to respect private property.
The last two town planning meetings, in Warwick and Allora, had been postponed due to Covid-19 and Council will announce new dates soon.
