Coffs Harbour is being urged to seize a “defining moment” as major transport, parking and events plans promise to reshape the city over coming decades.
The opportunities facing the region were outlined at a packed Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce meeting at Opal Cove Resort, where business leaders were briefed on three key planning documents now on public exhibition.
City of Coffs Harbour Planning and Communities Director Ian Fitzgibbon discussed a CBD parking paper, draft Events Strategy and a design guide aimed at transforming the Pacific Highway corridor through the city.
The highway will become a local arterial road when the Coffs Harbour Bypass opens in December.
“This is a defining moment for Coffs Harbour, with a unique opportunity to harness growth, strengthen our community, and shape the future of our city,” Fitzgibbon said.
He was joined by King + Campbell consultants David Tooby and Derek Hill, who helped prepare the draft City Spine Renewal Design Guide.
The bypass is expected to reduce traffic on the existing highway through Coffs Harbour from about 34,000 to 20,000 vehicle movements a day.
Tooby said “trees, trees, trees” and people-friendly spaces, including mini parks, could help “zip” the City Centre back together.
Fitzgibbon said planners had examined other communities that successfully reinvented themselves after being bypassed, including Scone and Kempsey in NSW and Geelong in Victoria.
He said Geelong had gone from a “Bogan town” in the early 2000s to a desirable and liveable city.
“They’ve (Geelong) now got a fantastic foreshore, a fantastic city centre and a new convention centre – that’s got to be our benchmark for getting things right here,” he said.
Population growth is also expected to put increasing pressure on parking, with forecasts suggesting the Coffs Harbour city centre could face a shortfall of between 750 and 900 spaces by 2041.
The City Centre Parking discussion paper examines several options, including the potential construction of multi-storey car parks.
“It’s potentially a 40 to 60 million dollar build for those extra 900 spots which is a high cost – but there is a number of possible funding and partnership arrangements which could help fund that,” Fitzgibbon said.
“We can also look at behavioural change … if people embrace parking once and then walking past 10 to 20 shops to get to their destination in much the same way as you do at Park Beach Plaza.”
The chamber was also briefed on the City’s draft Events Strategy, which aims to build on Coffs Harbour’s success in hosting major sporting fixtures while attracting more cultural and business events.
“Our aim is to build a more balanced events portfolio spread strategically over the 12 months of each year,” Fitzgibbon said.
“We do sporting events well and we want to cement that in over the next 10 years – but there’s also a desire in the community for more cultural, business and signature events like a premier food and drink festival and perhaps a laneways art night-time activation.
“We want to be known as regional Australia’s events capital.”
The City Centre Parking discussion paper, draft Events Strategy and draft City Spine Renewal Design Guide are all open for public feedback through the City of Coffs Harbour’s Have Your Say website.
Something going on in your part of the North Coast people should know about? Let us know by emailing newsdesk@nctimes.com.au