Tathra spoke and Bega Valley Shire Council listened – the town’s draft revised plan for the wharf and headland precinct is now on public exhibition and ready for renewed community feedback.
Project manager Amelia Souter said the new draft plan responded to recent feedback from the local community on the proposed vision for the precinct.
“This is council and the community working together to reach an outcome that’s great for Tathra,” Ms Souter said.
“Just over half the people who responded to our first plan gave full or partial support for the proposed improvements. We know the Tathra community wants more than this, so this second plan is based on extensive local feedback.
Ms Souter said key areas of community concern included parking and access to the Tathra Wharf area, which design consultants addressed in the revised plan.
“The new draft plan includes parking along Wharf Road and a shared pedestrian and traffic zone that improves access to the museum and café, fishing area and headland walk,” she said.
“A place as iconic as the Tathra Wharf should be open and accessible to everyone, so we have proposed accessible parking spots at the end of Wharf Road and at other useful places like Memorial Park, the Tathra Hotel and Beach Street shops.”
Ms Souter said Tathra boasted “arguably one of the most attractive coastal views in NSW” and the council wanted to highlight this while still providing for pedestrians and road users.
“We’re proposing the car park opposite the Tathra Hotel be removed to emphasise this beautiful view while improving road crossings and accessibility to encourage getting out and about along the headland,” she said.
“The community was also keen to see a better connection between the headland and lower Tathra. While beyond the scope of this project, we understand how important this is to the community and we invite people to view an early draft proposal on our website.
“We want to give this special town the attention it deserves and we’re keen to continue working with the community to deliver the best possible outcome.”
To view and provide feedback on the revised Tathra Headland Draft Precinct Plan, including a proposal to link the headland with lower Tathra, go to the council’s Have Your Say webpage.
Bega Valley Shire Council received a $7.81 million grant from the NSW Government’s Stimulus Package to contribute to the Tathra Wharf restoration and planning for the heritage precinct.