Crows Nest Community Growth Action Plan Economic Development Strategy Final Report September 2015 Crows Nest Community Growth Action Plan Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 3 1 OUR TOWN .......................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Our People .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Our Workforce ........................................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Our Key Industries ................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Our Services and Facilities ...................................................................................................... 4 2 OUR STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS ........................................... 6 2.1 Strengths ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Community and Lifestyle ................................................................................................ 6 2.1.2 Location ........................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Weaknesses ............................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.1 Business and Investment ................................................................................................ 6 2.2.2 Infrastructure .................................................................................................................. 7 2.2.3 Local Planning ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Opportunities .......................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 Tourism ........................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.2 Business, Investment and Infrastructure ........................................................................ 8 2.4 Threats .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.4.1 Local Planning ................................................................................................................. 8 2.4.2 Community and Lifestyle ................................................................................................ 8 3 OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE ............................................................................................... 9 3.1 Our Action Plan ....................................................................................................................... 9 3.2 Identifying Our Key Priorities .................................................................................................. 9 3.3 Our Key Priority Strategies .................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Other Priorities Considered .................................................................................................. 17 2 Crows Nest Community Growth Action Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Toowoomba region is made up of a patchwork of rural townships. Each is unique, shaped by its own history, subject to different issues, challenges and opportunities. They are, however, similar in many respects to a large proportion of smaller rural townships across inland Australia that are changing in the face of the global urbanisation trend and evolving agricultural practices. Whilst these factors are changing the shape and feel of towns like Crows Nest there are still opportunities for the community to shape its destiny to ensure that Crows Nest remains a place where they, and their children, would chose to live. Success for Crows Nest is best determined by the residents themselves, based on their aspirations, ideals and value systems. In order to better understand what these are, Council facilitated a number of meetings with community members to draw out what issues the town is facing, identify what the potential solutions and opportunities might be and to determine which ones should be focussed on as a priority. These have been documented in this Community Growth Action Plan. The Plan identifies the six actions that the Crows Nest community agreed should be the priority for collective effort. They are: 1. Develop a Crows Nest Tourism Strategy. 2. Investigate opportunity to undertake a feasibility study with the purpose of investigating the viability of an indoor swimming pool to be open year-round. 3. Identify opportunities to attract increased number of caravan and RV tourists by utilising unused saleyards for free camping. 4. Lobby with Education Queensland to extend the local high school to include Year 11 and 12. 5. Improve the level of detailed information of Crows Nest on the TRC website by including a profile of the community and identify key events, attractions, facilities as well as investment opportunities for new businesses. 6. Investigate opportunities to establish free Wi-Fi access for local residents and visitors in Centenary Park. 7. Investigate opportunity to make Crows Nest a RV Friendly Town. These actions will be best achieved through the involvement and commitment of the broader Crows Nest community who, as residents, have the greatest interest in their success. Council will partner with the community, assist directly where possible, and endeavour to involve other regional stakeholders when required. The Community Growth Action Plan is a living document, and will be reviewed annually. These reviews will be an opportunity for the Crows Nest community to come together to celebrate successes, review what has been done and determine priority actions for the coming year. Council will play a supporting role in this process but maximum community involvement will ensure its relevance and increase the potential for success. 3 Crows Nest Community Growth Action Plan 1 OUR TOWN Located on the dividing range on the eastern edge of the Darling Downs, Crows Nest is a vibrant rural town 42 kilometres north of Toowoomba. The town’s location on the New England Highway makes Crows Nest an easy commute to and from Toowoomba as well as the broader region. Crows Nest has grown substantially from its origin as a stopping place for timber haulers bringing logs out of the surrounding mountain forest. Crows Nest provides a pleasant climate that benefit’s from the areas natural beauty amongst the dividing range. Crows Nest is a vibrant town that prides itself on being a friendly and welcoming town that provides a safe and secure environment for residents as well as visitors. Crows Nest offers a range of services and facilities to cater for local residents from young to old, as well as visitors. The town provides a rural feel which embraces a sense of community and belonging. The resident and business community are committed to ensuring the economic and social growth and prosperity of the town whilst maintaining its sense of community. 1.1 Our People Over the past decade, Crows Nest has recorded strong population growth increasing from 1,777 persons in 2001 to 2,068 persons in 2011, or by 1.5% per annum. As at 2014, Crows Nest had a population of 2,232 persons. The Crows Nest community is characterised by older residents with almost a third (30.8%) of residents aged 65 years and older at the time of the 2011 Census, with the towns children aged 0 to 14 years old accounting for 18.0% of the community. Nonetheless, Crows Nest prides itself on embracing the young and the old to create a cohesive community. The average age of Crows Nest residents was 46.9 years as at 2011. Crows Nest households are characterised by couple only households, which account for over half of the town’s households (53.9%), with less than a third of households characterised by families with children (29.7%). Crows Nest represents an asset rich community with almost three-quarters of households either fully owned or under mortgage as at 2011. 1.2 Our Workforce Crows Nest has consistently recorded lower unemployment levels in comparison to the Toowoomba Regional Council area with Crows Nest recording an unemployment rate of 4.4% as at 2013. Labour force participation rates have typically been lower in Crows Nest compared to the Toowoomba Regional Council area with Crows Nest recording a labour force participation rate of 68.1% as at 2013. Health care and social assistance, retail trade and manufacturing were the main employers of the Crows Nest resident workforce in 2011. 1.3 Our Key Industries An analysis of industry specialisation shows that Crows Nest has high levels of specialisation in agriculture, food retailing, road transport and residential care services, reflective of Crows Nest’s older demographic and connectivity to the New England Highway. 1.4 Our Services and Facilities Crows Nest is a strong community that prides itself on delivering the best for its residents and visitors within a safe and secure environment. The town offers a good mix of localised services and 4 Crows Nest Community Growth Action