By MELISSA MEEHAN
TECOMA residents are invited to have their say on the future of the town at a meeting on Wednesday night.
International community planning expert Peter Kenyon is running a number free workshops to help Yarra Ranges residents develop a vision for their town.
The process will involve communities coming together to develop a vision of what their neighbourhood will be like in five years’ time.
Tecoma Village Action Group (TVAG) president Nicole Gale said that it was important for Tecoma to concentrate on its future.
“This workshop will give all people living in and using services/businesses in Tecoma a chance to get involved and have a say,” she said.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to network and work together.”
Ms Gale said it was wonderful to see the council already putting money into Tecoma, and having a plan meant that it would be easier for the town to get funding in the long run.
“We’re in such a big shire and it’s easy to get lost in the crowd,” she said.
“The plan would include things like increasing the safety of road crossings, beautifying the town and not just being a town that people drive through.”
She said despite TVAG being given a mandate from the town to fight the McDonald’s development, it was not a single issue group and its job was to promote the town and help it grow.
“We’re seen as the ugly ducking, but that doesn’t mean it can’t change.
“We need to get everyone together and this meeting is just a step towards that.”
Mr Kenyon’s community planning experience includes projects in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe and the Middle East.
The workshops are part of the council’s commitment to supporting communities to develop their own plans
Already Mt Evelyn and the WHYLD group of towns in the Yarra Valley have developed community plans and are putting them into practice.
Workshops will be held at the Monbulk Living and Learning Centre on Wednesday 21 May from 10am to noon and at Tecoma Primary School Hall on Wednesday 21 May from 6.30pm to 9pm.
For more information or to book for one of the sessions contact Community Planning and Engagement at Yarra Ranges Council on 1300 368 333 or email
c.riseley@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
