Shaping our city's vision
Just like households and businesses across our community, AlburyCity is shaping its draft budget for 2025/26. Soon we’ll seek your feedback on the projects and initiatives proposed across our city for the year ahead. We’ll also be seeking your feedback on the long-term vision.
Our city is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regional cities. More than 58,500 people live in the Albury Local Government Area. By 2046, more than 78,250 people are expected to call Albury home, with much of this growth occurring in the Thurgoona catchment, where the population is forecast to double to 30,000 in this period.
In place of our usual ‘Thurgoona Conversations & Planning for Growth’ section, I want to provide an overview of some longer-term city planning we’re undertaking to support sustainable growth for the people who have chosen the Albury LGA as the place they want to live, work and invest.
Thurgoona Wirlinga is growing faster than any other part of our city – that’s why we’re investing in key projects and initiatives that will support the community today and lay the foundations for tomorrow’s future growth across our whole city.
We’ll soon be bringing to Council the revised Draft Thurgoona-Wirlinga Precinct Structure Plan which, if endorsed by Councillors, will go on public exhibition for community feedback through our Engaging Albury website.
The original Structure Plan, to guide development of Thurgoona-Wirlinga and ensure the area is well-prepared for future growth, was prepared in 2013. This revised plan takes into account your feedback on the options we’re considering, along with what you wanted to see retained or improved from the original plan. Any changes to planning policies and technical investigations which underpin the Structure Plan have also been considered.
We’ve also engaged our community in conversations about the development of Thurgoona’s Commercial Precinct - our plan to create a vibrant, connected heart for this thriving area.
The precinct is divided into three key areas:
- Precinct 1: Shuter Avenue, from and including Leahy Avenue to Thurgoona Drive
- Precinct 2: Thurgoona Drive, from and including Diamond Drive to Evesham Place
- Precinct 3: Table Top Road, from and including Diamond Drive to Thurgoona Drive
Earlier this year, we sought the community’s views about options for Precinct 1 and we’ll soon be consulting the community about Precincts 2 and 3.
Feedback collected will help inform detailed design for all precincts to ensure we are meeting the needs and expectations of the Thurgoona community. Infrastructure upgrades will roll out over the coming years, beginning with Precinct 1.
This level of growth and planning doesn’t happen in isolation. That’s why our Council has also endorsed for public exhibition our Draft Social Infrastructure Strategy - a 20-year plan to guide the delivery of vital community facilities and services across the entire Albury LGA.
Built on community engagement, the strategy outlines a long-term vision that responds to population growth, demographic change, and evolving community expectations. It identifies the key strengths and challenges of our existing community facilities and public spaces and introduces four guiding principles: co-location, connectivity, multifunctionality and equitable distribution.
Together, these principles will ensure we’re not just planning for infrastructure, but creating connected, inclusive and future-ready communities. We’ll be keen to hear your feedback through Engaging Albury.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Your feedback and ideas continue to shape the Albury of tomorrow.