Sovereign Hills Traffic Signals go Green
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
New traffic signals at the entrance to the Sovereign Hills development at Thrumster turned green this morning as Port Macquarie-Hastings Council General Manager, Andrew Roach officially opened Main Street.
Speaking at the opening, Mr Roach said, "It's been a long road to arrive at the Main Street and traffic lights ceremony. The 'ground breaking' of this development was back on 4 December 2006 and today we have another significant milestone to celebrate - the opening of a main street and the turning on of traffic lights.
"However behind this celebration lies many years of hard work by Council staff, landowners and developers in planning and delivering this new community to our region.
"The result of that hard work was recognised when the Urban Futures Group for Sovereign Hills and our Council received one of the highest accolades for planning - the President's Award at the Planning Institute of Australia 2008 Awards as well as the Urban Design: Plans and Ideas for this town centre's innovative design and development initiatives and best practice urban design.
"Council also won the Urban Planning Achievement Award for its work encompassing the entire Thrumster urban development area.
"Awards and accolades are gratifying but it's a realisation of these award-winning plans into a sustainable connected community which is the exhilarating part. It's the infrastructure, the lights, the landscaping - the creation of a new community which is fulfilling.
"This project is important to our continued prosperity, providing a boost to employment and our economy - particularly during this tough economic time - it's a vote of confidence in our region and our future.
"We support the many quality-of-life facilities Sovereign Hills will offer its residents - facilities for education, aged-care, childcare, entertainment and the general community. Not to mention that Sovereign Hills will be a leader in hi-tech connectivity and provide many business and commercial opportunities.
"We all look forward to seeing the town green, lakes, and lakeside park spring up, making Sovereign Hills a fixture on the local landscape. Congratulations to Robert Yandell and the Lewis Land Group team, who have invested many years of planning and hard work into this project.
"This new town and its surrounding area is a model of best practice. We should all be proud today that's it's no longer just 'planning' - it's a reality.
"On behalf of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council I congratulate you and wish you very well for the future, Mr Roach concluded.
