As major upgrading works to the Grey Street precinct continue, Glen Innes Severn Council (GISC) has engaged the services of Knowledge Transfer Services communications specialist Rose Wright to promote council transparency and improve the relationship between council, traders and the community while developing a viable CDB activation plan to follow the completion of construction works.
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After introducing a number of new initiatives including the circulation of the new council works newsletter Grey Street Beat, Ms Wright said she will be working with council on a short-term basis supporting the community engagement process and coordinating new and effective mediation techniques between council and the wider community.
“We have already started to change communication with the business community with regular newsletters and having council staff visit the businesses to keep them informed as to what is planned with construction works.” Ms Wright said.
“The approach GISC has adopted now is to ensure that road closures are kept to a minimum so that adequate access to Grey St is maintained so shoppers can easily access the businesses in the street.”
Advising council to regularly communicate progress and future planning as works continue, Ms Wright has turned more than 20 years of experience in town centre revitalisation toward the Glen Innes project.
“Our regional towns need to be reinvented to some degree because they were built and designed at a time when doing business meant you had to come to town,” Ms Wright said.
“Now just about anyone can do business anywhere in the world and never leave their home.”
Encouraging the community to approach major works with reason and patience, Ms Wright said that as works continue she will be working closely with both traders and council to facilitate an open dialogue.
“I am really looking to address the concerns of both Grey Street retailers and the community that council is committed to developing a very open and communicative CBD upgrade strategy,, and how they are addressing the communicative gap between council and the community,” she said.
“I know from experience that when the community, local business and council work together, they can achieve great things. The key is to develop a clear idea of what you want for the future of your community and then to put in place the steps to make it happen.
“Each of these groups has a role to play in making it a success or not.”
As part of Ms Wright’s approach to transparent major works, the Examiner will be printing a weekly Grey Street works column in the Tuesday edition, keeping the community up-to-date on the CBD works schedule progression.
