‘Creative hubs’ on the cards in Council plan
Innovative, diverse, vibrant, and driven by a green economy is how the future looks for the Northern Beaches.
The key for this vision to become a reality has been draft by the Northern Beaches Council as its first Economic Development Strategy (EDS), to be known as ‘Business on the Beaches’, which is currently in public exhibition.
The EDS outlines the key economic challenges, opportunities, and aspirations for the local government area (LGA) over the next 10 years.
This strategy aims to grow and support businesses across the whole of the Northern Beaches to create more employment opportunities and foster a more diverse community that supports the local economy.
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said the draft strategy recognises the unique nature of our local economy, and challenges and opportunities over the next 10 years.
“The Northern Beaches is home to so many highly skilled and talented people, who could contribute significantly to our local economy if we can create new employment opportunities in our local area,” Mayor Regan said.
The draft strategy follows a thorough analysis of the current economic climate and consultation with the Northern Beaches community.
The plan outlines the creation of new spaces or ‘hubs’ to attract knowledge-based businesses and workers. Council says these ‘hubs’ will also open the door for more entrepreneurship opportunities through information sharing, promotion and networking.
The ‘creative hubs’ in the town centres, will also be designed to inspire tourism opportunities and creative industries.
A green economy is also key for the future of the Northern Beaches, with Council saying there is great potential to explore and promote emerging investment opportunities in this sector.
Some of the challenges identified in the plan include issues with the traffic congestion, the lack of a major CBD, and lower paid roles among others.
Business on the Beaches will be on public exhibition on the Your Say Northern Beaches website until 26 March.
