ON behalf of the Bathurst Heritage Network, I wish to make this submission on Bathurst Regional Council's budget for 2019/2020.
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An absolute priority should be to extract the major economic benefits and tourism potential latent in the Town Square and the former TAFE building.
These major assets have huge economic and social potential through tourism and increased economic activity in the heart of the CBD. These have been identified as pivotal in the Bathurst Cultural Plan, and a priority in the Bathurst Heritage Plan.
Very little has occurred and no funding has been allocated, despite various heritage groups and the Heritage Reference Group having made recent recommendations to council as to how to take them forward, including funding proposals.
This should be an important budget priority for council.
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Please, can an immediate $50,000 be allocated to commission a Town Square Master Concept Plan, encapsulating the community's wishes as expressed in the Wish Upon a Square survey and the submissions of the Town Square Group. This easily can be funded by a transfer from free reserves.
In order to meet the timing concerning activating the former TAFE building as laid out in the Cultural Plan, work needs to start now. We cannot afford as a community to only start thinking about this in 2027.
Can council please adopt a policy of saving up to develop much-needed facilities as expressed by the wishes of the community - exhibition space, conference space, gallery space, recital space, meeting space, performance space. The TAFE building is perfect for these purposes.
This can be funded by regular transfer from free reserves to the Heritage Asset Fund. We recommend the discipline be to set aside 15 per cent per annum of the money council raises through land sales. By doing this, it is likely we will have enough money saved to do the work in four years.
In regard to available reserves, we note for 2019/2020 that $20 million from land sales will be put into reserves for unspecified use. Even if the majority of this is earmarked for the second track, timing and balance of community interests would strongly suggest a small portion be set aside for other important purposes.
