By Jeremy Sollars
STANTHORPE has scored a major coup after being chosen to host a national town planners’ conference set down for late October.
The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has chosen Stanthorpe as the venue for its 2016 Rural and Regional Planning Conference, with around 150 professionals to hit town from across the country.
It’s the first time the annual event has been held outside a metropolitan city.
The PIA is one of the peak bodies for the property development industry nationally and is serious about putting focus on the challenges facing rural and regional communities when it comes to making new development happen.
The conference will be held between Wednesday 26 and Friday 28 October, at the Queensland College of Wine Tourism.
While on the Granite Belt, conference delegates will have the opportunity to explore the region by way of a 15km cycling tour on the Wednesday afternoon before the official conference start, or a bus tour taking in Sutton’s Farm, The Big Apple Packing Shed and winery visits.
The social program also includes a dinner on the Thursday night at Granite Belt Brewery and a farewell event at O’Mara’s Hotel.
Topics to be covered during the conference will include communication and infrastructure needs in Australia’s regions, agriculture, tourism and the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail proposal.
More to come.
