Hawkesbury City Council has secured $500,000 in NSW Government funding to upgrade the infrastructure behind local events in Richmond and Windsor, cutting red tape and equipment costs for community groups planning festivals, markets and street celebrations.
The money comes through Transport for NSW’s Permit/Plug/Play Program and will fund Council’s Hawkesbury Streets: Activate and Celebrate project, a set of place activation works designed to make it easier for residents and local businesses to run their own events. Plans include permanent and portable infrastructure such as hanging points for lighting and banners, public art installations and modular street furniture that can be moved and reused across different sites.
Council also intends to reduce long-term running costs by supplying reusable traffic equipment and permanent power bollards, removing the need for organisers to hire this gear separately every time. A digital permit portal is planned too, alongside a pre-approved Traffic Management Plan template, both aimed at speeding up what has traditionally been a slow and costly approval process for anyone wanting to close a street or run an event in a public space.
Hawkesbury Mayor Les Sheather said the funding builds on Council’s existing Events Sponsorship Program and its newly launched Events Guide. “Local events are an important part of what makes our City such a vibrant and enjoyable place to live and visit,” he said. “This funding will help us make it easier and cheaper for local groups to hold events.”
The project is expected to benefit everything from small neighbourhood gatherings to Council’s own annual calendar of events, with organisers set to save time and money on approvals, traffic management and equipment hire.
Hawkesbury Streets: Activate and Celebrate is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Permit/Plug/Play Program, led by Transport for NSW.
