The Wingham Chamber of Commerce’s first Place Making Project workshop took place on Wednesday evening, April 26.
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Around 30 ‘business types’ attended to learn more about the project from consulting firm JOC Consulting, a creative urban planning practice that specialises in community, place and technology.
The Wingham Chamber of Commerce received a $50,000 grant in March from MidCoast Council in the NSW Government’s $1 million Future Towns Program.
As a condition of the grant, a portion of the funds must be used to hire a consulting firm to help with place activation, and all funds must be spent by June 30, 2017.
JOC Consulting director, John O’Callaghan has a special interest in Wingham, having done a project on our town while studying town planning and urban design at the University of New South Wales.
“Our role is to help you guys and help you improve Wingham,” John said at the beginning of the meeting.
“The community is the expert,” he said.
On the team’s first visit they walked around Wingham to gain a feeling for the town.
“We felt it was an incredibly friendly town with really interesting shops and interesting architecture,” John said.
After explaining the firm’s function in Wingham, the room was divided into six groups and the workshopping began in earnest.
The room was soon abuzz with positivity, possibility and creativity when the groups were asked to come up with ideas for improving Wingham, which were then rated in terms of high and low cost and impact.
The most popular ideas categorised as high impact/low cost were:
- A stage for casual performers in the park.
- Documenting history of various local milestones.
- More trees in the main street.
- Utilising the river.
- Old timber style noticeboard for ‘official’ community news.
- Tourist information signage.
- More seating on the main Street.
- Lighting at night.
- Cycleways.
Results from the meeting are collated and will be added to further workshops to come for the wider community and schools later in the month.
Chamber of Commerce president Liz Jarvis was very pleased with the workshop.
“It was great to see such a big turnout. More than RSVP’d came,” Liz said.
“It was good to see the engagement and John’s passion for our town shone through and helped everyone open their imagination to what Wingham could be. It had a vibrant feel.”