FAQs

The public domain is all the outdoor spaces we share and use in everyday life—like footpaths, street trees, nature strips (verges), town squares, plazas, parks and other open areas. It also includes the way private buildings, shopfronts and homes connect to these spaces—for example, how a café opens onto the footpath or how a front yard meets the street. Together, these areas shape how a town centre looks, feels and functions for the community.

A Public Domain Plan is a roadmap for improving the public spaces we all share — like footpaths, verges, street trees, lighting, signage, seating, and open areas in and around town centres.

It identifies what’s working well, what could be improved, and prioritises a list of actions to help make the area more attractive, accessible, and enjoyable for the community.

The plan focuses on the public areas — not private buildings or developments — and helps Council guide future investment and design decisions.

Council wants to make sure our town centres stay lively, welcoming and sustainable into the future. In 2023, we developed a Public Domain Strategy to guide improvements to things like street trees, lighting, footpaths, signage and public spaces. The next step is creating detailed plans for each town centre—so we can focus on what each place needs most and make sure any changes reflect the local character and community priorities.

The plans could include things like more trees and greenery, better footpaths, lighting upgrades, new street furniture, signage, public art, shade structures, pedestrian safety measures, and placemaking initiatives like events or pop-ups.

Yes. Council will be collecting pedestrian, parking, and traffic data to better understand movement in and around the centres. This will inform decisions on future improvements.

Sutherland, Kirrawee and Miranda are key hubs within the Shire and were identified in Council’s 2023 Public Domain Strategy as high-priority areas for renewal and improvement based on previous feedback and strategic alignment.

In 2020 and 2021, we heard from residents about their aspirations for town centres, including specific feedback for Sutherland, Kirrawee and Miranda. This new round of engagement will help us understand what’s changed and what matters now.

No. The Public Domain Plans focus on public spaces and infrastructure, not changes to land use or zoning. Any planning control changes are considered separately as part of broader strategic planning processes.

Yes. If you live, work, or shop in more than one of these centres, you’re welcome to provide feedback for each. The survey allows for multiple responses and centre-specific insights.

Place Score is an independent research agency that specialises in place-based community engagement. They’ll be conducting surveys both online and in-person to ensure the process is transparent, robust, and captures a wide cross-section of views. PlaceScore uses evidence-based, place-based metrics to help measure what matters most to communities when it comes to the places they visit, shop, and connect.

All responses will be reviewed and analysed to identify common themes, priorities and issues. This will directly inform the design and content of the Public Domain Plans, which will then be publicly exhibited in early 2025 for further community comment.