Surf Coast Council with the support of the Victorian Government is commencing a major strategy called the Prosperous Places Project to better understand how to positively and proactively shape the Surf Coast’s future economic ecology.
Have Your Say
Complete the Online Survey by clicking the button below.
Please refer to the Discussion Paper - Prosperous Places(PDF, 5MB) on this page to provide some more context to the questions in the survey.
If you would rather, you can also fill out the survey form(PDF, 502KB) and email it to Council (info@surfcoast.vic.gov.au), or send it by post to PO Box 350, Torquay, VIC 3228.
Drop-In Sessions Postponed
Given the current coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, our focus for consultation will now be capturing comments on our online survey or the Surf Coast Business Collective Page on Facebook. The planned face-to-face drop-in sessions advertised have been postponed until further notice.
We really value your comments and encourage you to share the website link and invite everyone to take part.Thanks for your flexibility. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to your awesome ideas.
Why is the Prosperous Places Project necessary?
The Surf Coast is blessed with unique environments – coast and hinterland, towns and villages with their own culture and lifestyles, businesses servicing local, national and international markets, a history of innovation and entrepreneurship, and a strong visitor economy. It is, more than ever, a place where people want to live, work and visit.
But, our story is evolving. The early appeal of promenading at the seaside and love of the ocean evolved into the formation of international surf brands, new sports and a whole way of life. Tourism has overtaken agriculture and emerged as our region’s largest provider of local jobs and expenditure. The internet has spawned opportunities for a new wave of innovators and home-based businesses keen to live and work in a place they love. There are also emerging industries that will demand a different skill set and support to any that we have now.
In order for our community and these places to prosper, we must maintain a close eye on what is happening, address any challenges and make the most of every opportunity to strengthen our local economies. It's necessary to shape our future economy so that the Surf Coast prospers in the right ways and addresses the issues that will affect its future.
The Project
The Prosperous Places Project team has a focus on a sustainable future for the Surf Coast and has several key elements.
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It will classify the existing industries and businesses, so we can understand the economy we have.
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A major component will examine the emerging industries and skills. This will update/modernise the economic story we know about the Surf Coast with contemporary ideas and demonstrate how we are evolving. It will identify emerging businesses, new ideas and new opportunities and document future skill requirements.
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Based on this, we will discuss the economy we need to develop additional local jobs and define what a successful economy looks like.
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A strategy and action plan will identify the actions and priorities.
Project team
A project team led by consultants, Michael Connell & Associates, is working with Council to deliver the project.
This project is made possible with the support of the Victorian Government.
Key project milestones
The project team has been conducting initial research and analysis of our local area economies. Consultations have been held with businesses and other stakeholders located in each of our towns. Broader consultation with local businesses are planned in the New Year in March and April 2020. View below or click on the link to download the Project Road Map(PDF, 308KB).
Engaging our community
This project will engage and inform businesses and the community through various stages, and the resulting evidence-based strategy will provide a plan for the future of the Surf Coast as a place to live, work, operate a business, or visit. The project is being supported by the Victorian Government through Regional Development Victoria (RDV).