Wollongong is looking for love

We want to know what you love about Wollongong! Wollongong City Council is asking everyone to share their response to “I love Wollongong because…” using your own photo, story, poetry, artwork, image or short film.

This exciting campaign is set to run until 22 August and is an opportunity for Council to connect with the heartbeat of our community and reflect on what we know and love about Wollongong as we begin to develop our next Community Strategic Plan (CSP). We ask people to be mindful of the current COVID restrictions as they participate in the campaign.

All entries will go in the draw to win one of ten prepaid $100 Visa gift cards, along with the opportunity to be featured on posters to be displayed at local libraries, events, facilities and within the next CSP.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said this is a creative opportunity for the community to set the tone and be involved in the development of the CSP

“The Community Strategic Plan sets out the community’s vision and goals for the future. Council might take the lead on pulling all the pieces together, but it’s the community that guides the development of the document and our aspirations for the city,” Cr Bradbery said.

“When we developed our first CSP in 2012, it was a community image that was used for the cover of the Plan. This was really exciting as it was an example of community driving its development, and being represented throughout the document.”

“This competition will be the first in a series of engagements where we’ll be asking people what they want for the future of the city as part of our Community Strategic Plan.”

The Community Strategic Plan for Wollongong takes into account all levels of government, community groups, business, and our local residents. It’s an important document as it guides the projects and services Council delivers and ensures that the way we operate is in line with our community’s vision and goals.

“It’s a means by which you can start thinking about features of our city that you treasure. This will give us an idea of your priorities and what matters most to you as these ideas are important and need to be expressed and shared. We confront a changing world with many issues, especially how we are going to live sustainably with an increasing population, but we also need to protect those things we value and love about Wollongong,” Cr Bradbery said.

Council encourages everyone to participate, but would like to remind the community to do so in a way that adheres to the current Public Health Orders. To find out more or submit your entry to “I love Wollongong because….” visit our engagement website. Entries close 22 August 2021.

What is the Community Strategic Plan (CSP)?

Right now, we’re starting work on an update to the city’s Community Strategic Plan – and it’s essential we get your input.

The Community Strategic Plan (CSP) is a document that sets out a number of agreed goals for our city’s future. We developed our first CSP in 2012 and we revised it in 2018.

We know a great deal about how we live, work and socialise has changed in the past 15 months, and this latest revision provides a timely opportunity to make sure the priorities and goals set out in this document reflect our whole community’s aspirations.

A CSP is an exciting document to prepare as it’s developed by our community, for our community. Council asks questions and seeks feedback from individuals, community groups, business, and all levels of government to facilitate its development.

To read more on our current Community Strategic Plan, visit our Wollongong 2028 webpage.