“There is a general consensus Braidwood does not need beautifying,” Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council Service Manager for Urban Landscapes Tim Geyer said in the lead up to the CBD and Ryrie Park presentation on Thursday.
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The community session, run by council staff and Heritage Landscape consultants Phillip-Marler, will present months of feedback and plans drafted for the town.
“It’s an attractive town, it’s just been neglected,” he said, with hopes the session would be well received by residents.
He cited a lack of maintenance, crossings, parking, and the inconsistency and safety of footpaths as topics that will be addressed by QPRC team.
“This is less of a workshop and more of a presentation for the team to put forward their analysis and concepts,” he said.
“These ideas are not new. Overall, we would like to highlight what the community would like to see. What we may think is a good idea, people might hate.”
The aim is to have a final master plan ready for presentation to, and adoption by, the incoming QPRC council in September 2017.
Feedback collated from a well-attended street beautification workshop held in March will also be added.
Mr Geyer said $500,000 has been allocated for the preliminary stages of this project. QPRC plan to apply for further state or federal grants if projects blow out in the future.
He dispelled the difficulty, voiced by some residents, in both developing a progressive master plan and preserving the historical amenity of the town.
“One of the things people get hung up on is they feel, when an area is heritage listed, they can do nothing important to maintain the context and fabric of a town,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean you can’t give a building a coat of paint or fix a footpath. You can keep the place functional without destroying look.”
A small team of urban landscapers, engineers, architects and advisers have come together for the drafted plan.
“There are some good ideas from the Braidwood community, everyone’s been really positive,” he said.
- The presentation will be held on Thursday, in the old library Park Lane at 5.30pm.