As Kiama Municipal Council invites public feedback on the Draft Local Housing Strategy, residents have a unique chance to shape the future of our region. 

Amid the maps, forecasts and planning jargon, one vital word deserves more attention: liveability.

Dr Alan Woodward, a long-time Kiama local and respected national leader in mental health and social policy, believes the people who live here are the real experts in what makes a place liveable. 

In a recent interview with Bernie Hems on Kiama Community Radio, he reflected on how community knowledge can be the difference between a good plan and a great one.

“We know our community best,” he said. “We know what works and what doesn’t. That local expertise matters, and now we’ve got a platform to use it.”

That platform is the Draft Housing Strategy, and submissions are open until 27 April.

Dr Woodward, who helped establish the new incorporated group Kiama Matters, urged residents to move beyond cynicism and speak up.

“Participation is one of the ways that the community can have a say and influence what occurs for them,” he said. “Individually, it’s easy to feel powerless. But groups, especially ones that work collaboratively and share good information, can really influence outcomes.”

It’s a timely reminder. The Housing Strategy lays out where, what and how we’ll build over the coming decades. 

Housing is not just about rooftops and lot sizes. It’s about how we move, connect, raise families and grow older. 

It’s about sustainability, infrastructure and design, but also the quieter things: feeling safe, being seen and knowing your neighbours.

His message is simple. “There are no better experts than the people who live here,” he said. “The liveability questions associated with population growth are things that people in the local community have expertise in.”

Whether it’s access to green space, traffic impacts, housing diversity, affordability or the character of your street, now is the moment to reflect on what liveability means to you, and tell Council.

Submissions can be short or long.

A single story, a list of priorities or even a question is enough to make a difference.

💬 Have your say here

And if you need a little inspiration, put on Imagine, Alan’s song choice to close the interview, and think about the Kiama you want to leave behind for the next generation.

Tune into Bernie Hems' show at 9am on Tuesdays on KCR.