Guyra locals are working with council to develop the town – and they’re already looking 30 years ahead.
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Their plans include horticulture, expanded festivals, and more visitors.
The Regional Growth Advisory Committee met at the old council offices in Bradley Street on Monday night to come up with ideas to help grow Guyra.
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Guyra locals Hans Hietbrink, president of the Chamber of Commerce and last mayor of the Guyra Shire Council, and Aileen MacDonald, former president of the Chamber, sit on the committee.
“Council appears to be very positive about doing things to develop Guyra, and to bring more businesses to the Guyra region,” Mr Hietbrink said.
“We’re looking forward to putting a lot of the plans into effect.”
Mrs MacDonald thought it was good to have the meeting in Guyra.
“People felt they were listened to, and part of the process, rather than having things imposed on them,” she said.
As long as we feel listened to, and we’re working with council, we can achieve growth for Guyra!
- Aileen MacDonald
The committee implements council’s Economic Development Strategy, and considers ideas to improve the region as a place to live, attract new investment, support businesses, and increase tourism.
Chair Cr Bailey thought it was a very positive meeting, and was delighted with the response.
“My phone's been ringing with suggestions of what we can do and how we can help,” he said.
Business people from the Armidale Business Chamber, the Guyra & District Chamber of Commerce, Locals 4 Locals, and various community representatives make up the committee.
“Guyra are an intensive community that has a strong get up and go attitude,” Cr Bailey said.
“Rather than waiting for council to drive activity,” he said, “up there they come to us. That's what I think is so brilliant about the community: they're very can do.”
Horticulture
Some months ago, Cr Bailey proposed an agricultural showcase for the Armidale region.
Guyra Community Hall could become the venue for a horticultural expo, with farm tours.
Part of the showcase would also be held at UNE, where horticultural clinical trials are being conducted.
Council is already in early discussions with UNE and TAFE about the event, and Mrs MacDonald and David Mills have joined a working committee.
“We’re all in this together, in the local LGA,” Mr Mills said, “so the initiative is to hold it here, but obviously include our LGA.”
The Guyra expo would focus on controlled environment horticulture (growing produce in greenhouses).
Committee members believe this could become a very thorough industry here.
Guyra’s long hours of sunshine, strong water supply, and altitude make it ideal.
That’s why Costa set up its tomato farm here, which will expand by another 10 hectares, creating another 150 jobs.
A meeting will be held in Armidale soon to discuss controlled environment horticulture.
Renewable energy
The state government plans to make New England a renewable energy hub.
Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said it could become the “renewables capital of NSW”.
The committee imagines the region to be booming in 30 years, with intensive agriculture and renewable energy from water, bio waste, and methane.
They are creating a region-wide masterplan to take Guyra there, with land zoning, energy, and reticulation of water.
Council also plan to buy land that can then be sold for industrial purposes.
They are already talking to real estate agents to find suitable land parcels.
“We have investors, and we are pushing Guyra quite heavily – not just the glasshouse, but for a whole lot of other things,” council’s economic development officer Greg Lawrence said.
It’s showtime!
Council want to secure money from government tourism agency Destination NSW to expand the Lamb and Potato Festival in January.
An estimated 25 to 30,000 visitors come for the nearly fortnight-long event, bringing in $100,000 each year.
“We’re on while Tamworth’s Country Music Festival is on,” president Steve Mepham said.
“It’s an ideal time for us to sell Guyra. A lot of people have moved to Guyra as a result of having visited the festival at some stage, and we want to continue down that road.”
Guyra Show Society president Richard Post is also full of ideas.
The previous Guyra Shire Council devised a “fantastic” ten-year plan for 2016 to 2026, with 30-odd infrastructure projects.
He’s applying for funding to upgrade the bar, BBQ, and canteen pavilion.
This $50 to $100,000 project could singlehandedly, he believes, turn the showground into one of Guyra’s biggest drawcards.
“That will make [the pavilion] a much more useable asset, an actual revenue-generating resource for the showground,” he said.
“We will be able to hold pretty significant events over there with all those facilities.”
The Guyra Show recently received a $5000 grant for next year’s event, thanks to Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
Wallets on wheels
Council are in discussion with the Motor Home Association to establish a motor home park in Guyra.
Travellers would live in the facility for two or three weeks, and shop in town.
Grey nomads inject $637 million into the Australian economy each year.
“The genie’s out of the bottle,” Mr Lawrence said.
“If we don’t embrace this opportunity, they’ll go to the next town that does.”
Grey nomads also use the Mother of Ducks Lagoon, and there are plans to do it up to encourage more visitors.
Northern Tablelands member Adam Marshall MP has secured $459,000 to refurbish the area with a new electric BBQ, weather-proof picnic tables, a new amenities block, signage, and expanded walking tracks.
NRMA want to build a charge point for electric vehicles in Guyra, as well as in Armidale.
While their car is recharging, drivers could have a coffee in town, or shop in the main street.
The upgrade of Bradley Street itself is still on course, Cr Bailey said, but the fuel tanks underground need to be dealt with.
To stay in budget, the upgrades might have to be a graduated process.
“Suffice it to say,” Cr Bailey said, “we’re trying to tailormake the upgrade to suit our budget, which means we mightn’t be able to do it all at once. We might have to do it as a graduated process.”
Council will also hold a procurement seminar in the next month or two, to help local businesses apply for council tenders.
The committee is also developing a tourism strategy, which they will send to council in November.