July 28, 2009

‘Ambitious plans for Methven's future'

The Methven Community Draft Strategic Plan is now available for community consultation and those affected now have a chance to make their voices heard.

The draft plan has been developed by the Methven community through a series of workshops.

The plan was focused on Methven's current and future challenges and included actions for the community to undertake over the next 10 years.

The project has been facilitated by Ashburton District Council's community planning team, in partnership with the Methven Community Board.

Council's project support officer Jenna Scott said she was thrilled with the variety of ideas that came through in the community workshops.

"The community has ambitious plans for where they would like Methven to be in the next 10 years and we are sure that through working together they will meet their goals," Miss Scott said

The strategic plan had indicated that preparing for a growing population was important to ensure Methven continued to thrive. Other focus areas of the plan included further beautification of Methven's town centre along with developing Methven as a year-round tourist destination.

The community was pleased with the quality of life on offer in Methven and looked to improve in areas of health, accessibility and safety for the future, Miss Scott said.

Methven also had ambitions to become a national leader in outdoor recreation opportunities for locals and visitors to the area, she said.

The plan is available for consultation until 5pm on August 7.

Copies of the plan were available from the Methven i-Site, Ashburton District Council offices on Baring Square West, and from Council's website http://www.ashburtondc.govt.nz/community/

For further information, contact the council's community planning team.