PLANNING OUR COMMUNITY’S FUTURE
The recent announcement by the City of Moreton Bay Council to review its town planning scheme presents a key opportunity for Samford and surrounds to provide input that reflects our local community’s needs and our desired vision for its future. As part of this process, Samford Progress believes there is value in reviewing the implementation of the recommended actions from the community-led Samford Futures Report that was developed in 2011-2013 and delivered since then. www.samfordfutures.org
The review will include reflective feedback by the volunteers who facilitated work in key focus areas identified during the three-year planning and consultation process for the report. These were: Samford Parklands, Eco Corridor, Samford Commons, Overall Development, Village Identity, Arts, People Movement, Food Culture, Community Participation, Telecommunications, Digital Futures, and Sustainable Samford. The review’s findings will form part of broader structured community consultation including consideration of new matters that have arisen, or changes that have occurred, since the original work of the Samford Futures project. This will help facilitate ‘future making, not future waiting’ local input into future decision-making that impacts our community, especially government planning processes.
‘Visions for action’ from the original Samford Futures plan have since been reviewed by the original community facilitators. At the June Samford Progress meeting, members and visitors were updated on progress so far. Of the 86 visions for action agreed at the time, about 75% have either been fully or partially achieved. This relatively high success rate is attributed to the widespread engagement of locals and their energy and commitment to get important things done as we ‘make the future’, rather than wait for it to happen to us. Obviously as the review process evolves over coming months, other visions will no doubt emerge needing actions.
The achievement of so many outcomes has been put down in part to the commitment and resilience of 10 working group facilitators, 115 working group members and 490 community members in attendance at a major ‘Futures’ presentation held in the Samford Community Hall at the time. Important other factors include specialist volunteer contributions, positivity, and the level of engagement and support by Samford Progress and various levels of government; not to mention pushing through the occasional bouts of cynicism and ‘not possible’ attitudes. Apparently, the inclusiveness of the engagement process through active consultation and having fun, helped bring out the very best knowledge and insight from the community.
We look forward to even deeper participation by the community as we try to build a consensus view of our community’s needs and priorities and shape a future that we are proud to leave for current and future generations.
If you would like to learn more and participate in this important planning process for our community, come along to a Samford Progress monthly meeting at the Samford Community Hub, 7pm on the third Wednesday of every month. Email secretary@samfordprogress.org.au for details.
David Harrison, President of Samford Progress
Howard Nielsen, Convenor of Samford Futures