A bustling business climate carries with it great expectations and the ability for more and more families to make their living in this great area of the Mid-North Coast.

Schools, services, sports, infrastructure … they all blossom with the influx of people and families.

Obviously, keeping pace with this increasing population is one of the truly tough jobs that Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and those associated businesses that are at the forefront of developments have to deal with.

They need to be thinking well in advance to ensure there is enough land release and associated infrastructure suitable for a range of needs. But ballooning population figures bring with it their own unique set of issues.

Accommodating these new families, ensuring services and infrastructure are in line with projections … the list of major hurdles dominates most councils and community’s such as Port Macquarie.

The current expansion in the Lake Cathie/Bonny Hills area is an example of where future planning is in line with population growth expectations. The services match the projections. Some developments though, do not and growth can mean a genuine lack of matching services.

Trying to keep up with residential developments as they occur across the LGA without the supporting infrastructure is one of the great sins of any planning.

And this is where building styles are introduced that can have an immediate positive effect. Unfortunately, the down side is that these short term gains can – sometimes – erode the basics of what we believe should match our lifestyle.

Developments that provide accommodation in one sense – particularly medium density-style – can help overcome one aspect of the problem. However, the downside can – sometimes be – that these developments reduce a sense of community.

 Therein lies a question: do we continue to create this style of development or do we protect our sense of community.

There are several instances where this question has failed the test and we have lost our sense of community.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council should look at this matter during this current term and make a final determination about what we should be in the future: we vote for community.