Growing Wingecarribee Shire means planning is all of our business

The perception is that we are of above average wealth when in fact the reverse is true. That status can be influenced by how we handle planning.

Another fact with a much bigger bearing on our future prosperity is the age groups of the area. We are above the state average of aged population but below the average in the 20-35 year group.

We need to bear this in mind with planning because our aged population does not contribute as much to our economy as do the 20-35 year group.

The real contributors are in a group that is less than the state average so we need to do what we can to make a better balance.

About 25 per cent of our workforce leaves the district for work and yet 14 per cent of our workforce comes from out of the shire. I guest cost of housing has something to do with the incoming workforce and professional "managerial" people account for those working out of the shire.

We have three main business centres. Historically Bowral has been the hub and "up market" town. Moss Vale has been the "workers" town and Mittagong somewhere in between.

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I think it is very important that Mittagong retain its historical integrity because as the gateway to the shire it is important that it retain a welcome country feel, not only for we who live here but for the tourists who leave $170 million behind every year. "Out of character" buildings should not be allowed. Leave Mittagong as an Australian town, not a poor replica of some European city.

With the pandemic things are tough in small business. This is evidenced by empty shops in all towns. How much of this is a local problem, we won't know, until things return to normal.

We talk about planning but every day this government is usurping local government planning powers to the point where we will soon have little say in what we want for our district.

Population growth is inevitable. The pressure from south east Sydney will become greater and we have no choice but to accept more people into the shire. Population growth need not be the "boogeyman" some people would have us believe.

With only 2.7 per cent of this shire zoned urban, there is plenty of room so that with careful planning population growth need not change the character of this beautiful area.

Our future will depend largely on who lives in the shire. I stress that one of the bigger challenges will be to get the age balance right. To do this we accept that our aged population will continue to grow both from within and from outside. To correct the imbalance therefore we need to increase the 20-35 year age group who are the main economic contributors.

Socially it is important to retain our young people so they can gain employment that can lead them to whichever rung of the ladder they aspire to and so stay within their birth area and be a part of their extended families and the support that offers.

We should offer things that young families use, like a year round leisure centre. Work opportunities will have a big effect on who lives here and to that end increasing industry will be so important. The Moss Vale industrial opportunity area must be reinvigorated by council.

Affordability of housing can only be addressed in two ways: subsidised rental housing or by releasing enough land onto the market that land prices drop (or at least don't escalate at the rate it has here over the last 10 years). That land escalation can be directly attributed to the amount of land available to the market at boom times.

Lifestyle must be treated as our most treasured asset. Not only must lifestyle be guarded by ensuring the ambience of the area but also the economic prosperity. We must not only make available larger blocks varying from 5-25 acres but we must ensure that our smaller block land releases are characterized by integrated housing with emphasis on green areas and ease of movement.

Tourism is something that can have a huge economic input while not detrimentally affecting the ambience. We are within 200kms of one third of Australia's population. We are a bit over an hour from the 4 million people in Sydney. Tourism is suffering but that won't last forever. Overseas visitation will increase dramatically. We have a beautiful area which draws tourists to visit town attractions, but it is our "nature" things that will continue to be our biggest asset.

Ten times more people visit the Fitzroy Falls Parks and Wildlife area than the Bradman Museum. Our rural vistas are a huge drawcard and asset but visitors are being eroded by long roadside plantings that will mean these views will be lost.

The state government has refused to allow council to try and preserve these views by any form of regulation.

Bowral has parking and traffic problems that will prevent much more development. With the ever increasing cost shifting by the state government, council can plan all it wants but will not be able to afford much.

I was in Bowral the other day and got talking to three ladies from Wollongong. They had come to Bowral for its boutique shopping and the atmosphere of the main drag. Bowral businesses must make sure that this is not lost as its attraction will increase as cities become more impersonal.

A mind is like a parachute. It only works when it's open. When any concept, plan or idea is put to us, we should find out the facts then make a decision based on fact not on a non-supported headline. It is easy to identify things that are wrong and that view is overcrowded. Solutions are where there is an undersupply. Most of all, groups should take interest in the planning for this shire.