The Community Strategic Plan will amalgamate the former Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra Shire Council plans into an all-encompassing document designed to benefit both communities.

Extensive consultation and community engagement will be at the core of the new plan.

“This document articulates the wishes of the people in term of services, infrastructure and alike,” Armidale Regional Council administrator Ian Tiley said.

“It is the major planning document of the council.”

“Once the people sign off on the plan, council goes away and try to find the resources to implement it over a 10 year period.

The new plan will set a clear ‘community vision’ says council and though council will lead the process, it promises diversity and depth in community engagement.

One of the most important issues the plan will address is giving both former council areas equal opportunity.

“I’m thinking all the time about fairness and equity around the two former council areas,” Dr Tiley said.

He said there were many projects in Guyra that needed attention and had not being delivered by the for Guyra Shire Council due to their financial position.

He also said there were a range of service in Armidale that Guyra people used, which needed to be considered.

“It’s true to say that Guyra, 34 kilometers up the road, would come to Armidale for health, medical and a range of other services that don’t exist in Guyra,” He said.

“Therefore it’s important to have the infrastructure here that they can’t get in Guyra.”

The cost of the document will come from the $5 million Council Implementation Fund.

But once signed off, council will likely collaborate with their state and federal counterparts to fund projects.

“I'm building a regime of plans that will articulate projects and in the case of the Economy Development Strategy, i'm hoping for 10 or more doable projects,” Dr Tiley said.

The new CSP will be completed before the 2017 election in just over a year.