Over 100 surveys have been completed within the first 24hrs of the West Community Plan 2025 website going live. Residents are eager to have their say and work together to create a vision for their community for the next decade.

An extensive community engagement strategy has been developed for the West Coast 2025 project, with this level of involvement and activities never been done before on the West Coast.  Seven public workshops will be held across the region, five information stands in CBD areas and five summits targeted at key areas such as education, business and health. A new website has been launched, westcoast2025.com.au, where surveys can be completed online and the community can register to attend a community workshop.

West Coast Council’s existing Strategic Plan (2010-2015) runs out at the end of the year and Council has identified the need to create a new “Community Plan” that will not only provide a solid framework from which to pursue strategic directions for the Council itself, but also provide a guide for other stakeholders seeking to implement beneficial strategies for the West Coast over the next decade

“This plan will not be Council’s plan”, Mayor Phil Vickers says “Whilst guiding Council’s financial and asset management plans for the next decade, the new plan will build partnerships and help all stakeholders in their decisions so that our region can grow”. 

A lead consultant has developed the Community engagement strategy and associated marketing collateral with the Community Workshops and Industry Summits to be implemented by General Manager Dirk Dowling and supported by Queenstown resident and 2015 Young Tasmanian of the Year Adam Mostogl.

“We must ensure the community engagement process provides opportunities for the widest possible participation for those who are traditionally disengaged from these processes” Mayor Vickers stated. “As a result not only will there be public meetings and surveys but our youth will be directly engaged via in-school activities and a youth summit”.