What is Community Planning

It is a process of creating a shared vision and objectives, which serves to guide communities towards improvements for community members and townships. It is prepared by the community for the community, with Yarra Ranges Council supporting the process and acknowledging the outcome.

The process is driven by community members, who decide when to start, how to proceed, who should be involved, what objectives will be attempted, and what the priorities for action will be. This ensures that the process and the outcomes are ‘owned’ by the community.

The Process

Since the development of the 2015 Community Plan, MRAG continued to actively work on gathering community thoughts and ideas towards the development of the 2021 Community Plan. To ensure the plan reflects ‘community need’, MRAG used a range of community consultative strategies including Facebook surveys, face to face market stall discussions with residents and tourists, walk-in conversations at the local newsagent (owned and operated by MRAG President Maureen Halit till Feb 2020) and the utilisation of meetings including the MRAG AGM, to generate ideas and discussion.