Draft Urban Greening Strategy

Council is inviting community members to view and comment on Council’s Draft Urban Greening Strategy, which will be on public exhibition for a period of 28 days from Monday 3 July 2023 to Monday 31 July 2023.

Council secured a $50,000 grant through the NSW Government Greener Neighbourhoods program to develop an Urban Greening Strategy. This funding program is to assist councils to strategically plan for and manage urban forests in their local government area and to create cooler and shadier neighbourhoods.

The Draft Urban Greening Strategy (draft Strategy) will provide strategic alignment to both internal and State Government policies and will assist to coordinate Council’s current cross-organisational projects that contribute to increasing canopy cover and greening.

The draft Strategy identifies three key goals with objectives and actions under each of these:

• Existing areas of urban green are protected and enhanced
• Green links are created where they are most needed
• Our community stewards our urban greening.
  
  

The draft actions have been developed with the following key principles in mind:

• Use best practice approaches to become a leader in Urban Greening
• Adapt to Climate Change and Mitigate Biodiversity Loss
• Urban Greening for health and wellbeing
  
  

Council’s Environmental Sustainability staff along with our consultants have undertaken a number of engagement sessions, including community engagement at the Hawkesbury Show in 2022, internal staff engagement, and a Councillor Workshop. The feedback obtained from the various engagement sessions has informed the draft Strategy’s development and content.

A summary of the community engagement is listed under the Documents tab on this page, ‘Hawkesbury Show 2022 – Engagement Summary’.

The draft Strategy will have a minimum ten (10) year timeframe and be reviewed periodically to ensure outcomes and actions are being progressed.

The draft Strategy has been prepared to include the outcomes of engagement and is available for review under the documents tab on this page, or can be viewed at:

• Council’s Administration Building, 366 George Street, Windsor, Monday to Friday during opening hours, 9am to 4pm.

Council will receive submissions via the Survey Tab below, in writing addressed to the General Manager, by mail to Hawkesbury City Council, PO Box 146 Windsor NSW 2756, or by email to council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au (External link) up to Monday, 31 July 2023.

Should you lodge a submission, it will be considered, along with any other submissions received and may be included in Council’s meeting business paper. Your submission, including any personal information is accessible by any person upon written application, subject to Council’s Privacy Management Plan and the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. The inclusion of personal information in your submission is voluntary. The information will ultimately be stored in Council’s records system.

The last day for the receipt of submissions is Monday, 31 July 2023 .

Enquiries should be directed to Charlotte Weaver, Sustainability Officer on 4560 4444 or by email to council@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au