I had 3 visitors at the first Winchelsea Councillor Chat last week (1st Thursday of each month), with discussions ranging from road care, traffic lights & pedestrian crossings through to new bridge, industrial estate, tree plantings and pigeon-poo! Good to catch up on people are seeing, hearing and doing around the region, my thanks for the drop-ins who took the time to call by.
By the way, the weekly community Co-Working/Study space in the Winchelsea Shire Hall is available Mondays and Thursdays 9am - 2pm. It’s warm & comfortable with cushioned bench seats or make-your-own-arrangement of tables and chairs, free parking, nearby shops & cafes, a beautiful head-clearing riverside walk, mobile big TV with computer connection, internet, even printing. If you need to get away from your usual space to work or study, or somewhere to meet people (but not for confidential discussions), I highly recommend it as a cheap, convenient and central option. Spread the word! Definitely a use it or lose it service.
Many of the discussions would fit into the upcoming Winchelsea Place Plan, and I’m looking forward to observing the chosen group as they collect ideas and deliberate on what to put forward for potential inclusion into a masterplan for the next few decades. More opportunities will crop up for everyone to take a look at what they come up with on our behalf, and put in some feedback. I must say, there was a VERY disappointing number of survey submissions (just 37!), and only 24 out of 30 spots taken to participate in the workshops putting together a community-powered picture of future Winchelsea. It is hard to justify criticisms of Council programs and priorities if the local community doesn’t engage until after the fact.
Speaking of opportunities to have a say, the Road Management Plan is still out for comment. Remember, this sets out at what point Council is required to step in and fix roads & pathways, and the recent Satisfaction Survey (see jo.my/satisfaction2025scs) shows that Winchelsea had the lowest rating for roads (sealed and unsealed). Your submissions DO matter and DO have an impact, and provide evidence for your Councillors to make changes and make decisions on your behalf.
Another issue you might be able to help with; as Winchelsea grows, we are seeing more dogs too. I don’t mind saying, I’m a dog person. However, we’ve seen some incidents where dogs are threatening and in a couple of cases actually attacking other dogs and even people. To dog owners – you are required to keep your dog(s) under “effective control” and adequately contained at all times. To everyone – if you see poor dog behaviour, I urge you to report it to Council for the rangers to look into and log for evidence, see jo.my/scs-dogs.