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Long term rezoning problems with WCC
I have for the last 28 years been trying, along with another 200 mostly single lot owners, to have our 900m2 blocks of land allowed to be re zoned for residential building .
It is a mockery that all around our land there are new residential houses ( LandCom ) and yet WCC will not consider any form of rezoning of this parcel of land ( that totals 22Hectares for the 200 lots )
No wonder shonky developers offer backhanders etc to get their developments approved as it seems doing the right thing and conducting open dialogue only meets with closed minds and completely negative response.
As far back as 1996 we offered that any house built on any single block of land would have to have the following
1) minimum of 5000 litres of rain water tank savings
2) Provision for personal Sewerage treatment if required ( EnviroCycle or similar )
3) The estate would have a urban water run off pond that each house could also draw from for “grey water usage “ ie toilet /washing machine / gardening etc and this would be also plumbed into each house
4) All houses were to be of such a design so as to adhere to a strict energy conservation limit so as to minimise the need for air conditioners etc
5) The provision of solar type panels to generate self sustaining electricity
6) A Solar Hot water system
7) A minimum of 40 % of the block to be fully tree /shrubbed
Instead of welcoming such initiatives , we were told by WCC the existing zoning would remain , and to go away and stop wanting to ever build on the weed infested /fire hazard blocks that we having been pay rates on decades .
I suppose it is only to be expected as even before David Campbell became the Minister for Utilities ( water conservation ) we were told when he was still Mayor of WCC , that “Wollongong residents will never be allowed to have rain water tanks “
I’ll leave you to ponder this piece of forward thinking for yourselves .
Yet as frustrated with the stone wall you hit every time you meet with WCC or its councilors to get something done , I worry that with the stench of corruption in the WCC brought on by its own inaction , what will happen to future developments in Wollongong . If this city is to grow , we need new developments , but unless the WCC helps make this possible an open and sensible way , one of 2 things will happen
1) Development will dry up and with it many employment opportunities and resulting a negative fiscal impact on the city and its residents
2) WCC allows development free of political bias based on realistic planning principles, and not high jacked by some green political group or greedy developers.
Jim Bennett Wollongong Council & Personal Gain
It saddens me that the good old days of councillors who got involved for the good of the community rather than their own personal gain . I have written to the local paper on a few occasions complaining about their missuse of rate payers funds for junkets overseas. It seems being a labor area has worked against us and i for one will never vote labour in local or state elections again. It must also be said that two of those involved in the corruption were also on the board of the Fraternity club in major positions when their financial trouble started. The problem also is that mast of the councillors and developers named are of an ethnic background saddening for the majority of hard working members of the ethniic community. Let’s hope as a result of this enquiry someone ends up in jail also the others never hold positions of power again and the developers named never get any work in woollongong again. And to Mr Oxley you forgot the people who pay your salary are the ratepayers of Wollongong you acted like an autocrat not a public servant and to the councillors who were not involved you are not blameless you are guilty of complacency you should have been more diligent in keeping the rest honest by asking more questions and if that did not work involving the local papers to insist on answers. So in conclusion I’m glad three administrators have become involved and wish them luck in cleaning up a corrupt council
Phillip Little So why just ask 9?
A lot of people are saying of the 9 Councillors, stood down, things like you must’ve known etc. Those who ask these questions, tell me this, do you know what your neighbour does? Do you tell them what you do 24/7? Does anyone knows what goes on between a husband and wife?
While pointing the finger at the 9 who were in and out of council, around the community, why not be asking the same question of the 1200 who work in Council full time? Not blaming them, but obviously someone must know something out of 1200? Why didn’t they say anything? Why aren’t people asking them?
Surely ex-councillors from before 2004 and not voted back in, must know something? What about ex-Mayors, shouldn’t people be asking them?
Why go back so far? The Mercury had an expose on the Oxley regime once before, calling for Council dismissal. This was in March 1988 by their then editor Peter Culllen. He wasn’t frighten to question. But what has the local media done in the last 20 years? Where are our Watergate journalists? The local media must’ve known something. Local business must’ve known something too. And what did you know?
Alan Bond No CV required
The trouble with the democratic system, is that people are elected by popular vote. Unlike a job application they do not have to provide a CV or references.
For how long will the three administrators named in the SMH today be at the helm?
Till Sept 2008 LG elections? or longer?
P Ferguson Sorry for all the “honest” councilors?
I have been asked on numerous occasions by my clients whether I feel sorry for all the “honest” councilors. My answer is “absolutely not”. WCC is one of the largest employers in the region and the councillors should be compared to a board of directors of a large company. At the end of the day the Board is responsible for the behaviours and performance of the business. Also to add that the Lord Mayor has remained silent during all the ICAC hearing where he should have tried to give the ratepayers some comfort. He dodged the media. This is very poor leadership.
What has come out in the ICAC enquiry is of no surprise to most business people. It has been going on for years (since probably Arkell’s reign) . The only surprise is that more people should have been mentioned and that Iemma’s stooges got off scot free. Hopefully the named “people of interest” do some serious time in jail. They have let down the community down through lies, corruption, sex , bribes, gifts etc and made Wollongong a mockery nationally. Do the crime, do the time.
My belief is that the biggest problem with Wollongong is that it is one of the safest Labor seats in the country at local govt, state govt and federal levels. The Liberals will not spend any money down here as they cannot see the point nor will Labor because they will win the seat anyway . The community needs to give some serious thought to voting more independents without political affiliations into Council and also at State and Federal level. Let’s make Wollongong a ‘swinging’ seat.
John Carrasco They should have their employment terminated
Yes indeed what a travesty and tragedy is the whole sorry ICAC saga with WCC.
I agree with your conclusion that the Councillors are responsible and should go.
In addition, I hope that the accountability does not stop there.
Clearly there were council executives that were involved in the corrupt activities and in the event that there are still people that were involved directly or indirectly in those activities the surely they should have their employment terminated as well.
Paul Wright Let the people speak
Paul Matters of Wollongong Against Corruption who had heckled the previous Council meeting, was in full bore at the last meeting of Council. While giving a very volatile speech on behalf of Vicki Curran and her claims against Council, he managed to almost undo his speech by his constant heckling of the untainted Councillors. As Councillor Martin pointed out, no one interrupted Matters when he spoke.
At one stage I called to Matters to let the people speak where upon he viciously retorted to me that I must be a member of the ALP and a developer! This provided the biggest laugh of the night from the Councillors and people who know me.
Paul Matters left the chamber yelling out that all the councillors are getting sacked the next day anyway. He left while they were resolving to have a strong review of Ms Curran’s case. I guess he couldn’t heckle against that.
Lastly, his heckles were aimed at Councillors and why they didn’t stop the corruption, however, Mr Matters had not been to a Council meeting for years, so he certainly did nothing about it either, until his self gratifying grand standing at kicking innocent people when they are down.
Alan Bond Too many questions are left unanswered
Obviously now that you only need four people in council positions to cry systemic corruption as an excuse to sack the entire group of councillors including those not involved in the ICAC Inquiry.
Yet Premier Iemma reinstates his own MPs Hays and Tripodi because they of not an interest to this ICAC Inquiry.
So why sack councillors who are of not an interest to this ICAC Inquiry?
What of the police investigations that were called for by the victims of the sexual harassment allegations now proven?
What of the break-in into the council basement two weeks after the ICAC raid?
What other development proposals had deals cut for them in the last 20 years?
Too many questions are left unanswered. Sacking the entire Council will not make those questions go away. The Premier can be assured of that.
Alan Bond
Bottomline
Wollongong City townscape
Wollongong is like a $2.00 shop. It is full of stuff you don't need and what you do need is either absent or of such low quality it may as well be absent.
I actually think the Wollongong Council have had town planning personnel of perverse genius - for they have taken a north east ridge sweeping down to a coastal plain between a magnificent escarpment and the Pacific Ocean and, completely ignored it - so the only view in this direction is from a bridge over the railway line. Somehow they succeeded in positioning the city to the chilling south east facing the steel works with no street level, water or escarpment views ...
WOW how do they do it!
And for the Wollongong City grand entrance - on entering the city from Crown Street you are first greeted by a bevy of patients clutching their drips and colostomy bags while they sit alone or with visitors suffering the chill for that much longed for cigarette.
Then there's Flinders Street. I wonder what Matthew would make of the car yards, abandoned buildings and general mess that makes up this rather dubious commercial mile or two.
And now for the heart of the city - were is that you ask - a city square, civic buildings, some bloke on horseback, a park, how about a post office. I have actually seen better city centres in the back blocks of Montenegro.
Maybe Gail Costigan's fact finding mission to a Roman village built in 700BC will add to the much needed store of civic planning knowledge at the Council.
Caroline Colton All pushing their own agenda
Once again a self interested business group not elected by ratepayers, the Illawarra Business Chamber, are telling ratepayers that the remaining untainted Councillors should be sacked only 6 months out from an election, Mercury 3rd.
Regardless of whenever the Council gets sacked or not, these groups must understand, ratepayers will not be told by self interested groups what is good for them
It is easy to sack someone, but who do you replace them with? If the council is sacked, we get an administrator for how many years? Elections when? How do we know we won’t get stooges of self interested business, property groups or the radicals? All pushing their own agenda.
These business groups have not demanded to see if there is systemic corruption. It is a law. Even Premier Iemma threatens to break that law but he would still have to prove corruption throughout.
No thanks. We are only 6 months out from an election. If the issued statements from groups offer no understanding of the lawful process of sacking Council, then ratepayers should certainly not be listening to them. They are no better than the mob baying for the blood of everyone.
Alan Bond Topline
3 hours is too long to wait
Lee wrote: Bring on the TASERS... for police and business owners to use if necessary (in the event of an attack or robbery). Three hours is too long to wait for police assistance.
I agree 3 hours is too long to wait, sometimes they don't come at all.
While tasers might be used on crims, they can also be used in holdups.
But I am in favour of the free holidays at Bathurst with return fares paid.
... and there's only one problem I have with the death penalty!
Someone has to pull the lever, the trigger, inject the toxin, or throw the switch. That makes another killer - albiet a legally paid one.
Fergie. | 
