Fri 1 Nov 19.
Feedback invited
A draft Master Plan for the Ongarue Village that proposes how the Village and public areas such as parks, roads and walkways can be developed is now open for feedback from the community and other stakeholders.
The Ongarue Master Plan which is part of Council's township revitalisation programme was developed with community input including from Te Rongoroa and Farm Trust and others.
Council's Community Development Manager Peggy Veen who has coordinated the project including holding an open day in July where residents shared their vision for the Village said that the community have been involved throughout the process.
The Master Plan captures the features, constraints and opportunities of Ongarue that were shared through consultation with community stakeholders, she said.
In doing so it helps to articulate the community's aspirations for future development in Ongarue.
These included; creating a safe place for tamariki, encouraging more people to stop and discover Ongarue, taking advantage of the Village's position as a gateway to the Timber Trail and ensuring that Ongarue is part of the wider Ruapehu Tourism Strategy.
Ms Veen said that we now have a draft blueprint for where and what the community want to see developed.
This helps Council, and other infrastructure providers, to plan for infrastructure in an integrated manner and provides community groups with a common basis for community projects.
The Master Plan also informs the community, district plan and long-term planning, and can be used as an action plan for future projects.
It identifies projects that could be implemented within the first year and provides an opportunity for community groups to identify other projects that they could support themselves or partnership with Council on.
Ms Veen added that like all township revitalisation projects it is the input of ideas, energy and passion from local people that is a critical element to their success.
It is the involvement of local people that is the key to getting projects going and then keeping them on track and making steady progress, she said.
Ultimately the local community will set their own pace for how quickly things proceed from here.
*END*
Draft Ongarue Master Plan on Council's website.
