As part of their studies, a team of Urban and Regional Planning students have developed aspirational ideas to support Tamworth’s night-time economy, in line with Council’s Blueprint 100 strategy. Ideas have focused on the prospect of revamping areas adjacent to UNE’s proposed Tamworth campus.
Council’s Manager, Development Sam Lobsey said initial concepts students recentlypresented to him were very exciting. The collaboration may help the time and resource-constrained council planning team to advance some important initiatives beyond the whiteboard stage and potentially help meet future staffing needs.
“Our partnership gives UNE students valuable, real-life experience on tasks that are likely to contribute to council projects,” Mr Lobsey said. “And if we can establish a relationship with students, they might be more willing to experience local government with us either during their studies or after graduating.
“Tamworth is growing strongly and the planning team is kept busy. It’s very difficult, without additional resources or funding, to get special projects up and running in a reasonable timeframe. The night-time economy idea – as just one example – is something that could engage a staff member for six months or we could spend $100,000 paying a consultant to conduct a review. I’ve been excited to see the big ideas the students have come up with for us to consider.”
Council is also considering how UNE students might complete real-time development assessment (DA) applications as part of their studies and carry out a community engagement exercise with outlying towns in its Local Government Area.
“We are looking for modern ideas that will support our new planning strategies,” Mr Lobsey said. “And there may even be opportunities for students to present their projects to councillors and be a part of the full process.”
Associate Professor Stephen Wood, Course Coordinator of Urban and Regional Planning at UNE, said the collaboration with the council takes student learning beyond virtual planning scenarios.
“It exposes our students to real-world proposals and engagement with planning practitioners in real-time,” he said. “The council will get help in tackling large projects for free and exposure to some of the latest ideas and thinking. It’s a great way to push the boundaries, test ideas, tackle some significant projects and possibly even inspire improvements to council processes as council staff guide and mentor our students.”
The council does not need to be sold on the benefit of investing in work-ready graduates. It has one staff member currently studying with UNE and another three UNE graduates employed in senior planning roles.
