A council-run community consultation session in Wallendbeen has been met with mixed reviews.
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The scheduled session with Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council town planner Grace Foulds gave residents the opportunity to discuss town planning initiatives.
Ms Foulds said the CGRC was making a concerted effort to draw upon local knowledge in order to benefit smaller villages in the district.
“The difference between us and other councils in the way that we do planning is that we are open to conversation,” Ms Foulds said.
“We’ve got a strategy and a project plan ready to go and we’re first in line ahead of other councils who haven’t had the foresight to sit down and discuss where they want their community to go.”
Preservation and general maintenance were key topics at the meeting with the Wallendbeen train station and station master’s house identified as key areas for improvement.
The difference between us and other councils...is that we are open to conversation
- Town planner Grace Foulds
Pub owner Stephen Holder said he would also like to see more recreational facilities for children and teenagers in the town.
“The playground we have is only good for a two-year-old,” he said
“We need a place for teenagers to be able to hang out – there’s nothing for them at the moment.
“I’ve already raised $7000 for this project and we’d love to see the council match it if they can.”
However, other attendees were not so positive about the meeting, calling it “tokenistic” and “too little, too late”.
Wallendbeen resident John Walsh was just one who said the meeting felt insincere and accused the council of not caring about smaller villages.
“They still don’t care about places like us,” Mr Walsh said.