Open Spaces Strategy
This feedback period ran from 15 February to 14 March 2024. Thank you for providing your feedback. Using this feedback and in conjunction with key stakeholders, the project team will begin developing a draft Open Spaces Strategy. You will have another chance to share your feedback when we go out for consultation on the draft strategy. We will let you know when this consultation opens.
The council is working on the Far North's first Open Spaces Strategy, which will set the direction for how we protect, provide and manage our district’s public open spaces network (parks, reserves, cycleways, beaches, rivers, playgrounds and so on) to make sure the community can access and enjoy them for generations to come.
An Open Spaces strategy looks ahead to the next 30 years and considers the challenges and opportunities we’re likely to see, including a changing climate, population growth and change, and advances in technology.
We want to know how you use open spaces in the district, what’s most important to you about them, and any barriers you experience to accessing them.
Open spaces are areas of land or water that the public can access physically or visually. This includes green spaces such as parks, reserves, cycleways, beaches, rivers, playgrounds and cemeteries. Open spaces support freedom of movement and gives us opportunities to connect with one another and the environment.
An Open Spaces Strategy provides a framework for how we provide, design, and manage the district's open spaces network over the next 30 years. It will examine the existing open space network, what the community values about it, and any issues that impact its current use and future supply. The strategy will identify goals for our open spaces, and consider factors such as population growth, developments, and broader environmental and social contexts. It will recommend how we can achieve our goals, including identifying projects and actions to protect, grow, and improve the open space network.
Open space plays an important role in the health and well-being of our community and supports biodiversity and a healthy environment. We need to plan for the protection, growth, improvement, and management of the open space network in our district and ensure it can sustainably meet the needs of our growing community over the next 30 years. An Open Spaces Strategy will provide a framework for this.
No. Community facilities and sports fields will be covered by a separate consultation process.
Using feedback from the engagement in early 2024, the project team will begin developing a draft Open Spaces Strategy. You will have another chance to share your feedback when we consult with stakeholders, partners, and community groups on the draft strategy. This feedback will inform the council’s decision-making on the final strategy.