Some bouquets for WCC
Dear Andrew,
Further to my letter in WollongongOnline’s Feedback column last week, re 6 large lots on Maddens Plains … Wollongong City Council originally rejected outright these lots. They now wish to reject again and for sound reasons.
These reasons include no sufficient merit to warrant approval, setting a precedent in the area, concerns from the National Parks and Wildlife Service that borders much of these properties, the Rural Fire Service, even Council’s own Environmental Division. The concerns from those agencies are “fatal to the application”. Council’s own words. Even the Dept of Environment and Climate Change are not supportive.
Further reasons include, servicing of the isolated lots, impacts on flora and fauna, impacts on aboriginal sites and the impact on the Illawarra Escarpment and catchment areas.
The council’s planning division, under the new leadership of Andrew Carfield, has taken steps to alert residents of this second assault on the area.
They are seeking help from Illawarra residents to object and further reject these 6 lot proposals. The planning division of Council is to be congratulated in alerting the residents. And whoever thought I’d write a line like that, praising the planning Division!
Plans are on exhibition at Council and the Helensburgh Library till 7 February. Information can also be found on Council's website. Make your rejection count.
Alan Bond Dear Andrew,
Back in August 2005 I wrote a letter in response to, “Developers back Oxley as planner”, Mercury 10 August 2005.
I quoted John Comelli who said, “He could do a better job than most planners.”
Mr Oxley had no professional qualifications in running Wollongong City Council’s Planning section. Look what subsequently happened and now, thank God, we have a very open and concerned manager running that section.
The point to this is, Mr Comelli is now in, what appears to be, a very tight financial position with his Anita's Theatre. From what I can ascertain, Mr Comelli has had no experience in the film or theatre business. Did he actually think he could do a better job than experienced film/theatre industry theatre people simply because he had a theatre?
I pointed all this out in a letter August 2004, a year earlier, warning of all the dangers of running a theatre as I have had experience in such matters. I called Mr Comelli “naive” then. With him selling property to support the theatre, I see nothing to change my mind from still calling him “naive.”
He is, simply, 60 years too late.
Alan Bond Dear Editor,
Even though it’s pleasing to see Wollongong City Council senior geotechnical engineer Peter Tobin acknowledge the very real dangers of escarpment landslide risk, one must ask why warn now. Especially when this has been pointed out to previous senior management of Council many times over the last couple of decades, particularly over controversial developments on the escarpment rim.
One infamous development at Stanwell Tops showed during excavations that it was not only going to be built on land fill, but one of the thick layers was of white clay which was obviously a seepage water course, the site being the lowest spot in Stanwell Tops.
Astoundingly, on top of these discoveries, Council geotech engineers requested a 6-metre setback from the escarpment rim, only to be dismissed by the developers saying they would ensure the development would be secure enough, and Council went along with it! Now it’s proposed to have sitting next to this, a McMansion also right on the rim!
One must question the claims of stability of the Hawksbury sandstone when one looks at the escarpment rim from Bulli to Bald Hill.
However, it would seem, under the new management of Council, division managers are now able to speak out about concerns. How refreshing.
Alan Bond
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