Completed projects for Medowie Place Plan
Make way for festivities and events in Medowie. Completed throughout 2023
Port Stephens Council facilitated a number of events for the Medowie community in 2023. They included:
Medowie Place Plan and Town Teams launch – 15 May 2023
In May 2023, Port Stephens Council joined forces with the Town Teams Movement, a non-profit company that enables local communities and governments to connect, organise and act to regenerate the fabric of their neighbourhoods and to create better places. A series of Town Team launch events were held at Medowie throughout May, with over 65 people attending the information sessions to discuss their ideas for community projects.
School Holidays Activities – April 2023
Did you have a chance to join us for Port Stephens Council’s first Sunset Cinema Series as part of the Autumn School Holiday Program. Attendees relaxed on oversized, comfy bean bags, ate some popcorn, and grabbed some local take-away for dinner!
National Tree Planting Day – July 2023
Three Medowie Schools participated in National Tree Day on Friday 28 July, fulfilling a number of the Medowie Place Plan actions. Established in 1996, Planet Ark's National Tree Day has grown into Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event. The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community. Our local event was proudly sponsored by Port Stephens Toyota and saw school children planting trees and shrubs to enhance their school grounds. Students from Wirreanda Public School, Medowie Public School, and Medowie Christian School also dressed up for the day and participated in a colouring in competition whilst enjoying educational talks on how to care for their local environment.
Snak ‘n’ Rap, Medowie – September 2023
Residents and visitors alike joined us for this event and enjoyed music, art, food, fun and good vibes at our FREE Snak 'n' Rap event which was held at the skatepark at Boyd Oval. Attendees participated in street art workshops, learned how to scratch with DJ Mathmatics, with some taking the mic and even freestyling!
Medowie Christmas Carnival – December 2023
Another successful Christmas Carnival was held on 2nd December and featured a range of children’s rides, amusements and show bags; carefully curated artisan market stalls; gourmet food vendors; live music and entertainment; as well as activity involving local schools, sport/dance/community groups, local businesses, Christmas carols, Santa and much more! Port Stephens Council was proud to provide event management and grant support for this event.
With thanks to a Port Stephens Council grant, Climate Action Port Stephens and Econetwork worked with Medowie Lions to install a bike pump in Lions Park. The pump, adjacent to the bike rack is designed to encourage people to consider riding into the town centre, rather than driving in, thereby enabling cleaner, greener and smarter transport choices.
Please contact Beck from council via email Rebecca.morley@portstephens.nsw.gov.au if you’d like to learn more about the outcome of this project.
This project was completed November 2023.
This project relates to Actions 4, 9 and 12 of the Medowie Place Plan
Caring for Medowie’s Environment – Completed November 2023
Medowie Town Team (Beautification Project Group) worked with council to identify and install new bins in and around the town centre to combat the community’s litter concerns.
The group also worked with community members and council to refresh some of the roundabouts and public space with plantings of Manchurin Pear trees, that is in keeping with Medowie’s streetscape character.
Town Centre Mural (Stage 1) – Completed September 2023
Up&Up in conjunction with Dowling Real Estate, Medowie were successful in their application for a Port Stephens Council Vibrant Spaces grant of $6000. This money will go towards the costs of painting a mural in the town centre Stage 2 will be completed in February 2024.
National Tree Day – Completed July 2023
Three Medowie Schools participated in National Tree Day on Friday 28 July, fulfilling a number of the Medowie Place Plan actions. Established in 1996, Planet Ark's National Tree Day has grown into Australia's largest community tree planting and nature care event. The program is a call to action for all Australians to get their hands dirty and give back to their community. Our local event was proudly sponsored by Port Stephens Toyota and saw school children planting trees and shrubs to enhance their school grounds. Students from Wirreanda Public School, Medowie Public School, and Medowie Christian School also dressed up for the day and participated in a colouring in competition whilst enjoying educational talks on how to care for their local environment.
Please contact Beck from council via email Rebecca.morley@portstephens.nsw.gov.au if you’d like to learn more about the outcome of this project.
This project was completed July 2023.
This project relates to Actions 2, 15 and 17 of the Medowie Place Plan.
Creation of Medowie Town Team – Completed May 2023
In May 2023, Port Stephens Council joined forces with the Town Teams Movement, a non-profit company that enables local communities and governments to connect, organise and act to regenerate the fabric of their neighbourhoods and to create better places.
Port Stephens Council was the first Council in NSW to actively promote the Town Teams approach, and we're proud to be working with the local community to create vibrant places that support social wellbeing and enhance liveability.
A series of Town Team launch events were held at Medowie throughout May, with over 65 people attending the information sessions to discuss their ideas for community projects. Casual meetings are currently being held in the community to progress some of these ideas. Should you wish to learn more on how to get involved please contact Dean Cracknell from Town Teams on 0468 38 1745 or email dean@townteammovement.com
This project relates to Action 26 of the Medowie Place Plan.
Ride 2 School Day – Completed March 2023
Four Medowie Schools participated in National Ride2School Day on Friday 24 March, fulfilling one of the Medowie Place Plan actions, providing local kids a safe walking and cycling environment along the shared pathways in Medowie.
National Ride2School Day takes place each year across Australia. The event allowed the four schools across Medowie to participate thanks to the completion of shared pathways throughout the suburb, making riding, scootering and skating to school safer and more enjoyable than ever.
Students from Catherine McCauley Catholic College, Wirreanda Public School, Medowie Public School, and Medowie Christian School joined more than 350,000 students nationally to ride, walk, scoot and skate to school, with a positive environmental impact equivalent to planting 195 trees.
This project relates to Actions 9. And 10. of the Medowie Place Plan.
Council is currently preparing a town centre masterplan to inform the development of the town centre expansion site. The project aims to consolidate a vibrant, accessible and functional civic and commercial precinct to support the growing population in Medowie and surrounding areas.
The masterplan implementation is proposed to be delivered in carefully planned stages to ensure a sustainable approach that balances the early wins to unlock the site and the long-term development within the available budget and resources.
The masterplan will address a number of actions within the Medowie Place Plan, including:
Action 6. Native is best – The town centre masterplan brief includes scope to remove the existing introduced pine trees and revegetate the site with local native species to enhance biodiversity and improve the habitat corridor. Council is currently sourcing cost estimates to remove the pine trees which is intended to be included in the first stage of work to prepare the site for development and revegetation.
Action 11. Village loop – The town centre masterplan brief includes connectivity as a key design consideration that aims to enhance pedestrian and cycling paths. A consultant has been engaged to prepare a traffic and transport study for Medowie that will consider the construction of a shared pathway village loop.
Action 12. I like to move it, move it – moving around Medowie – The master planning process will consider incorporating end of trip facilities and drinking fountains to encourage safe and convenient movement around Medowie. The Medowie Traffic and Transport Study includes preparation of a Infrastructure Plan to recommend and prioritise future infrastructure projects encouraging movement.
Action 17. Celebrate trees – The town centre masterplan brief includes celebrating the natural environment and enhancing the local character and identity of Medowie as the “place of tall trees”. The master planning process will investigate opportunities on how to incorporate this into the design. A planting day, aligning with initiatives such as National Tree Day, will be considered to foster partnerships with local schools & community groups.
Action 18. Controls for the look and feel of the Medowie town centre – The masterplan will inform the look, feel and vision for the Medowie town centre site. Additionally, a site specific Development Control Plan for the town centre, including the existing shopping precinct and expansion site will be prepared to support a future rezoning of the site.
Action 20. Create a main street – The town centre masterplan brief includes objectives to prioritise pedestrian movability along Ferodale Road. The masterplan will consider the Medowie Traffic and Transport Study and recommend opportunities such as on-street parking, crossing points and road widening.
Action 21. Let’s play! – The town centre masterplan brief includes a village green / recreational precinct and will investigate what facilities should be included to activate the site.
Action 22. Heart of town – The town centre masterplan brief includes a central, open and flexible meeting space intended to be the heart of the community. The master planning process will investigate opportunities to support informal recreation, retail space, organised events, promote social connection, wellbeing and a strong sense of place.
Action 24. Make in happen – rezoning the town centre expansion site – A planning proposal to rezone the town centre is currently being prepared. Assessment of the planning proposal is anticipated in early 2026.
Action 30. Planning the town centre expansion site – Council will be engaging a consultant to prepare the masterplan, the masterplan brief will be going to market in the coming weeks. A Council-led community engagement process is proposed during the masterplan preparation and during the Public Exhibition process. A Communication Plan is currently being prepared in consultation with the Communication and Engagement Advisory Group.