In July 2020, our community shared their ideas to help shape the future of the Entrance town centre and create a destination which is thriving and engaging all year round. We have listened and used your valuable feedback to draft The Entrance Town Centre Place Plan.
The Entrance is one of the most beautiful coastal towns in New South Wales. Its stunning scenic qualities and natural features established it as a coastal holiday destination in the 19th Century.
It was also named in the top 10 towns in Wotif’s annual Aussie Town of the Year Awards for 2021!
COVID-19 has shown us that the local community is essential to the survival and success of our town centres. The draft Place Plan will look at ways that we can improve the experience of The Entrance town centre for both our local community and our visitors to ensure its vibrant future.
The draft place plan looks at The Entrance town centre in detail under 5 precincts: The town centre, the Waterfront Plaza, Memorial Park, Coastal Walk 1 and Coastal Walk 2.
Consultation
In July 2020, we invited the community to share their ideas for the Entrance Town Centre via an ideas wall. We have taken your valuable feedback and used it to prepare a shared vision for The Entrance Town Centre Place Plan.
The Place Plan includes an ideas generator, which lists a range of ideas and projects to boost the local economy and keep the town centre alive and thriving all year round.
We invited the community to let us know which ideas and projects were most important!
The feedback collected will help us finalise the Place Plan and focus our resources on the projects and ideas that you value most.
We collected feedback between 15 March and 29 March 2021.
Together we can create an engaging, safe and welcoming space for everyone to enjoy and be proud of.
We want to foster pride in the area and transform the way our community interacts and connects with The Entrance.
A Place Plan aims to improve places and spaces for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors by adopting a place-based approach to determine the physical infrastructure and services that best respond to local needs. A key feature of the Place Plan involves identifying short, medium-and longer-term initiatives and projects that will help to enliven the town and improve the visitor experience for all.
The Place Plan will provide a framework to help Council work in partnership with the community to realise a shared vision, including how we manage the Town, support events and activations and identify where physical infrastructure should be located to support our collective objectives.
The Entrance Town Centre Masterplan set a high-level direction for how the design of the town should be approached.
The Place Plan will take that direction to the next level, setting out clear actions that will guide Council in improving the experience of residents, businesses and tourists who use the town. This could include public art, signage, lighting, infrastructure and maintenance projects.
The importance of Town Centres and how they are managed is a priority for the community and Council. The Entrance is an important part of the Central Coast. There are a number of places within The Entrance that can be improved that will enable it to achieve its optimum potential – in order to better attract and cater for the needs of both locals and visitors.
Through ten years of engagement, the community has told us that The Entrance is in need of a facelift. In particular, some of the aging infrastructure is having a negative effect on the perception of The Entrance. Upgrading parts of the town will help lift its profile and present a fresh face for the community, visitors and businesses. The upgrade will include looking at new ideas for making the space an attraction all year around – one that is attractive, safe and enjoyable for all people to be in, and support businesses and local jobs.
We care about the safety of our community, customers and employees. In response to the evolving situation with Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are taking measured precautions to keep our staff and community safe. Opportunities for engaging the community in person are limited due to COVID-19 Social Distancing measures. This means we are initially using a range of online and alternative ways for the community to safely provide their feedback.
The Place Plan will set out short term initiatives which will provide benefits more quickly as well as medium and longer-term goals, so expect to see some changes throughout 2021.
It is important to celebrate local history in public spaces and we will be looking to enhance and celebrate, not diminish, the celebration of heritage. A Heritage Interpretive Strategy was prepared in 2018 and will guide the future heritage interpretation in the Town.
Safety is a key concern for the community and Council. Good urban design helps to make places feel, safer and perceived as safer. Small changes such as improved lighting and clear lines of sight as well as bigger things like activating spaces through events and activities that attract more people all help to make places safer. The Place Plan will prioritise safety.
Council is committed to the ongoing revitalisation of a range of town centres. It is anticipated the Plan will identify a range of enhancements that will be implemented over a few years through a combination of Council’s annual capital works program and external grant funding.
The Entrance Place Plan does not relate to the channel or the lake. The State Government has appointed a special taskforce to investigate the lake.
https://www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/environment/coastlines/estuaries-lagoons-and-wetlands/tuggerah-lakes-estuary/dredging-entrance
Following the initial consultation phase the draft Place Plan will be made available for the community to provide further comment. This feedback will then inform the final Place Plan.