On 15 November 2005, around 50 residents of Burra and Urila participated in a Community Visioning Workshop. The theme of the workshop was "Creating a vision for Burra's future" and was facilitated by Palerang Councillor, Catherine Moore and David Anthony.
Participants worked collaboratively in small groups to consider and share the things that we value about our community, the changes that we see happening, and our vision for the future. In three sessions, the groups considered:
The responses from each of the small groups were reported back to the larger group. Then, all participants had an opportunity to nominate and vote for those things that they considered were most important.
Through this process, a clearer picture of the things that people in our community value most. The tablulated results are displayed below and demonstrate the wide range of views put forward.
Our thanks to Catherine Moore and David Anthony for facilitating this inclusive and worthwhile workshop.
| What do we value |
Votes/Score |
Vegetation of valley |
8 |
Small size community |
6 |
Ability to have animals |
15 |
Low crime risk/sense of security |
11 |
Proximity to wildlife |
13 |
Weather |
1 |
Hillsides |
3 |
Dust |
2 |
Semi-isolation |
3 |
Ability to know most people |
9 |
Friendships |
6 |
Clean water, air, soil |
13 |
Wonderful place to bring up children |
5 |
Minimum rules and regulations |
14 |
Rural lifestyle |
24 |
Proximity to services/Canberra/cultural facilities |
6 |
Peace and quiet |
15 |
Beautiful natural environment |
26 |
Community spirit |
15 |
Get away from city |
1 |
Ability to ride horses |
11 |
Solitude |
6 |
Live with my horses |
7 |
Inspire values in children |
5 |
"Green" environment |
4 |
Recreational opportunities for children |
1 |
Combining city work with rural lifestyle |
11 |
360 degree views |
2 |
Post retirement lifestyle |
2 |
Privacy/seclusion |
26 |
Ability to repair land |
4 |
Space |
13 |
Safety for children |
4 |
Views |
23 |
Freedom for children |
6 |
Great lifestyle for children |
1 |
Good neighbours |
5 |
Larger size agricultural blocks |
1 |
Quiet nights/silence |
15 |
Agricultural character of blocks |
– |
Ability to farm |
20 |
Respect of diverse views |
– |
Room to move |
5 |
| What changes have we seen in our community? |
Votes/Score |
Less access to wild country |
– |
Smaller holdings compromise positive rural living values |
52 |
Improved community services, fire brigade, recycling, hall |
4 |
Destruction of roads through greater use |
19 |
Federal gun laws |
3 |
More Council interference weeds, septics |
4 |
Increased uncertainty about maintaining present rural lifestyle |
15 |
More water bores |
14 |
More birds |
1 |
Better TV and Internet |
9 |
More people, fewer recreational opportunities, reduced acces/space |
4 |
More traffic and noise |
11 |
More rubbish and waste on roadsides |
2 |
More weeds |
7 |
People not educated & informed re rural lifestyle and values |
12 |
Less considerate driving |
5 |
Less security |
5 |
Reduced road safety |
7 |
Lack of feral animal control |
8 |
More onerous regulation |
8 |
"Suburbanisation", More barking and roaming dogs |
19 |
Stress on wildlife |
14 |
Increasing regulation |
4 |
Impact on property values from proposed wind farm |
5 |
Landscape changes - visual impact |
11 |
Less places to ride horses |
13 |
Increased road kill |
– |
Increased demands on land |
5 |
Increased house size |
0 |
Greater demand on water/water shortage |
25 |
Move to Estate style of living |
2 |
Noise reflection of reduced property size |
4 |
40 acre subdivision allowed |
6 |
Danger of culling wildlife with firearms |
7 |
| What vision do we have for our community's future |
Votes/Score |
Weed free paddocks |
4 |
More trees (many more) |
– |
Village - emerge |
– |
Retain low noise character |
6 |
All roads - tar sealed +upgraded |
17 |
Peace quiet and solitude |
4 |
All services provided |
– |
Provision of cemetery |
1 |
Council should be asset/corporate citizen |
3 |
Fish in Burra creek |
3 |
No street lights |
3 |
5-10ac Urila |
1 |
Woolworths |
– |
Shopping Centre + petrol station |
– |
Cultural centre |
– |
Council should maintain roads that serve several properties |
1 |
School |
– |
Library |
– |
Planning should focus on population density - rather than averaged block sizes |
3 |
Burra international airport |
– |
Fast train terminal |
– |
Network of horse-riding trails (linked) |
10 |
More community fun - events |
– |
More amenities |
– |
Population stay the same with retention of rural atmosphere |
1 |
Traffic planning - to reduce adverse impacts (no ski traffic) |
5 |
Opportunity for rural retirement |
4 |
Informed decision making - science |
6 |
Low impact sympathetic housing to area |
15 |
Mixed block size - larger blocks sustainable and productive (still farmed) |
16 |
Undeveloped ridges |
26 |
Park and small lake |
– |
Stay same as is now |
5 |
Real community governance/parish council |
5 |
Local Energy Transfer System (LETS) |
3 |
40ac block size |
1 |
Still look beautiful |
1 |
Traffic lights at edge of Burra |
– |
No deterioration of current environment - no increase in population density |
5 |
Home-based work local economy enables more community participation |
2 |
Night tennis |
2 |
No suburb style development |
10 |
Enjoying younger community |
– |
Improved picnic area - park small lake |
1 |
Green space for recreation and wildlife corridors |
20 |
Local community hub - pub |
18 |
Public transport |
1 |
Not too much change |
18 |
Preserve rural lifestyle |
17 |
Unspoiled views |
14 |
Sensitive planned development - not ad hoc |
19 |
5-10ac blocks |
2 |
A shop |
2 |
Fish in Burra creek |
2 |
No noxious weeds/feral animals |
7 |
Healthy safe rural community |
3 |
Meeting place - bar, rural transaction centre, discussion venue, social venue or restaurant |
16 |
25 metre indoor heated pool |
12 |
Maintain clean environment |
3 |
Greater community understanding of environmental issues |
10 |
Farmers market |
5 |
