THE ROAD to 100,000 stretches ahead as council formally accepts the Tamworth Regional Blueprint 100.
The decision was made at Tuesday night's meeting after a report detailed feedback from the community during the recent public exhibition of the plan.
The report to council described the Blueprint as a “roadmap’’ focused on “lifting the region to an improved quality of life and prosperity” rather than the attainment of a certain population by a particular date.
A total of 42 written submissions were received by council, 14 of which were from government agencies and other organisations while 28 were from individuals.
According to the council, more than half of the submissions received “fully or largely supported” the initiatives outlined in the Blueprint documents.
"Housing choice and density approaches were supported by individual submissions and also organisations including Shelter NSW which is the peak body for housing advocacy in NSW.
Business-friendly approaches – including proposed measures to encourage the provision of affordable housing - were well-received by a number of submissions.
Comments opposed to the plan tended to focus on infrastructure limitations to support population growth and the impact of a larger population on the lifestyle of current and future residents.
Mayor Col Murray said Blueprint is a comprehensive plan to manage the region’s population growth in a well-planned sustainable community.
"It's very important to this city and our region, but to the greater New England-North West as the major city in the region," he said.