Kiama reminded me community outgrows zoning.

Returning to my high school town for a summer weekend, what stayed with me most was not just the awesome food, amazing beaches or Jamberoo Adventure Park. It was the sense of community.

Jones Beach was full of life, but the heart of Kiama Downs was also in the small retail strip nearby. The coffee shops, a doctor and a grocer. These commercial spaces help make community life just as much as parks and public open space.

Too often, we treat community as something that only happens on land zoned for public use. But communities are also shaped by the places where people grab a coffee, meet neighbours and pause in the flow of everyday life. Good planning should recognise that getting a coffee is just part of community life.

That reflection also reminded me why I started Prometheus Planning.

As my contract with Dungog Shire Council draws to a close, I have been reflecting on how proud I am to have contributed to such an ambitious strategic planning program.

Within weeks, this work will have delivered a new LSPS, Local Housing Strategy, Rural Lands Strategy, Infrastructure Capacity and Prioritisation Plan, and Structure Plan for Dungog in 12 months. Surely unprecedented. 

I am proud that Prometheus Planning has been part of that work, and I wish Dungog Shire Council every success as it continues to shape its future.