Local residents from a diverse cross section of the community have provided input for a State Government regional economic development strategy.
Following on from a NSW Government economic survey that received a good response from Cobar residents at the end of last year, members of the community were invited to participate in a workshop with consultant Grant Leslie from the Balmoral Group.
Cobar Shire Council’s projects officer Miranda Riley said attendees were given background information on the purpose of developing a regional economic strategy and how it would be developed.
“The region covers seven Local Government Areas and is very diverse, making the process quite challenging,” Mrs Riley said.
“A focus that came through from the local meetings was that economic development is not just about accessing power and water, or having access to freight networks, but also ensuring the town is an inviting and liveable place. There needs to be adequate housing and children’s services available and the social services and infrastructure needs to be what the community expects,” she said.
Mrs Riley felt the consultants left with a good understanding of Cobar’s needs.
