Dunedin's Future – It's In Your Hands

The Draft Spatial Plan, ‘Dunedin Towards 2050 – a spatial plan for Dunedin’, will be considered by the Council next week before being offered to the public for comment.

The development of the Draft Spatial Plan relied heavily on the findings from the collaborative Your City Our Future process, which included:

* Over 90 community stakeholders working in 10 leadership teams from July 2010 to identify the key issues for the city and a vision for Dunedin’s future;
* spatial planning workshops with Community Boards, key stakeholders and professionals; and
* a questionnaire on discretionary spending priorities for the DCC sent to every household in Dunedin, which attracted over 4000 responses.

The Draft Spatial Plan describes what kind of city we want by means of a set of strategic directions for Dunedin’s growth and development for the next 30+ years. These strategic directions include ensuring Dunedin remains resilient, liveable, economically successful and connected.

It will be used to improve the long-term planning and co-ordination of the DCC’s activities by linking land-use planning to how future infrastructure and services may be provided or limited. It will also provide direction for the second generation District Plan, alongside other DCC plans and strategies.

Mayor Dave Cull, says, “If ever there was a time and an opportunity to stand up and be heard it is now, if not for you then for your children and their children.

“Your responses to this critical document will guide and inform the Council’s future decision-making across the whole range of activities and services with the sole purpose of making Dunedin ‘the best little city in the world’.

Following Council approval, the draft Spatial Plan will be available for public consultation from 2 November until 14 December. The DCC is also holding a launch for the parties who have been engaged in the development of the Spatial Plan, to show them the document and invite them to encourage their networks to take part in this consultation.

There will be public information sessions to offer the community an opportunity to discuss and understand the Plan and its importance in the shaping of Dunedin’s future.