Macquarie River Masterplan finally adopted by Dubbo Regional Council

The project is expected to take two decades to undertake and will cost a projected $47,839, 878.

At the ordinary council meeting on March, 23 mayor Mathew Dickerson said it was a project they "can chip away and work towards".

"The funding we are talking about for the numbers on there, in my experience with masterplans, will take around 20 years to complete," he said.

In a report to council it said there would be a requirement of staff to seek and apply for the funds to implement the plan.

It is expected that the main focus in the first years of the implementation of the plan will be tree planting, and this is not expect to have a negative impact on maintenance budgets.

According to the report the largest impacts to budget will come through the development of the wetlands, sealed roads, amenities and supporting infrastructure.

It is predicted that the initial construction costs are likely to be offset through grant contributions and the council has been warned of extra maintenance and operating costs of the new assets.

Councillor Josh Black said it was an "incredible" effort by the whole community to come forward and have their say on the masterplan.

"There's a whole stack of people who put effort into this that may not normally be seen as allies to ensure there is a fairly good outcome for the community," he said.

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"Nothing's perfect, but it's maybe as good as we can get it."

Cr Black said it would be important to tap the state and federal governments for as much funding as they could so the masterplan could become a "reality".

"This can be a legacy for future generations in Dubbo to preserve area along the river and turn it an amazing public recreation area," he said.

Taking on feedback from the community, the council made changes to the original masterplan submission.

The following changes were made:

The council also voted that the North West Urban Release Area be withdrawn from the Macquarie River Master Plan, with with a further review of the structural plan to be undertaken through Growth Planning with a subsequent report to the council.

Councillor Damien Mahon said he thought it was a clever idea to pull the North-West precinct out of this stage.

"Given our previous conversation around the plan, it's a new way of thinking for that area," he said.

Cr Mahon also thanked the community and council staff for the amount of work they did on the masterplan.