GET CONNECTED
Dear Andrew
As baby boomers ourselves, not only that we are being ripped off by the Rudd government but we have to keep on working to help our children that in turn have to work ridiculous time and hours to support they young families, as grand parents we feel obligated to not only help financially but also with baby seating picking our grand children up from school. (With a lot of love and hugs)
When will we retire and have time to enjoy all the past hard work of bringing up our own children???
Kind Regards
Yolande Fitzgerald FINANCIAL DEMANDS ON RATEPAYERS FUNDS
Dear Editor,
So Geoff Jones, the Illawarra Chapter Chair of the Illawarra Chapter of the Property Council wants Wollongong City Council to invest ratepayers money in Wollongong Central shopping centre.
This feted by former Mayor Alex Darling, mob, they of the infamous room of non-rent, are making demands, eh?
Maybe it’s because they read the Draft Management Plan 2008-2012 and saw the Financial Assistance 2008-9 where Tourism Wollongong will receive $644,000. Not bad for a group where one of their head members can afford to spend $20 million dollars to upgrade their tourist attraction. If Council want to conduct a survey the IRIS Contribution is $72,000.
But let’s not be unfair, Life Education will receive $6,000 and Wollongong Symphony Orchestra will get $10,000. Public Bands will get $11,000.
I guess this assistance is why Council removed the Landcare Council Group away from the northern suburbs around Helensburgh after a whole 6 months. Interestingly they are not getting rid of the Gong or southern ones.
So obviously ratepayers funds are there so the unnecessary middle man lobby groups can get their slice of the action, after all, they are not doing this for nothing.
DON'T LOSE HISTORIC HELENSBURGH
The unveiling of the Miner’s statue in Helensburgh by Wollongong City Council general manager, David Farmer, has indelibly put the Historic Helensburgh brand on Helensburgh. A video of the unveiling ceremony can be found at: h.
Helensburgh has the oldest coal mine in Australia at 120 years old this year. Not a bad innings. Helensburgh is also the closest country town to Sydney. But it has a good chance of losing this unique identity.
Strangely enough there is no town concept plan in at Wollongong City Council. Developers and their lackey consultants use this no concept plan business to lump out of place developments like the recently built 3 storey Alcatraz prison concept behind the Helensburgh Workers Club. 3 storeys because there are entrances on 3 levels. Prison because the units seem small with a tiny courtyard between. A similar edifice is proposed for the Workers Club, virtually turning the Helensburgh CBD into a new suburb called South Sutherland. None of these buildings have any sympathy towards Historic Helensburgh. Nor even to the wonderful and constantly endangered, from development, surrounding natural bushland, the lungs of Sydney and Wollongong.
There are a lot of empty shops, unsold townhouses and new unsold home estates in Helensburgh. Let us not lose Historic Helensburgh to greed.
ASSAULT ON THE NORTHERN ILLAWARRA ESCARPMENT
There is an unconditional assault by developers on the northern Illawarra Escarpment/Woronora Plateau that all Illawarra residents should know about.
We have the so called Golf Resort at Maddens Plains. Just nearby we also have 6 large, 40 hectare lots up for development. Now we have a camping ground proposed for the old Mine site at adjacent Darkes Forest.
A camping area is a place where all facilities are a walk away. People are expected to camp there and drive kilometres to the beaches etc. That’s why people like camping on a cheap holiday. A good example is Coledale Camping Ground, right there at the beach. With a shopping a few minutes walk away.
However, the mine site is well know for attracting heavy numbers of lightening strikes because of the bedrock layer of iron stone throughout the area. It is adjacent to and slopes towards, the Special Water Catchment Areas of Woronora. It is isolated, no community facilities, will rely on rain for water and is also in a designated high bushfire zone. There will be a fire proof room to hide in if you are lucky enough to make it. It is also only one road in and out from the Princes Hwy over a kilometre away. It is also the same place where there was a successful prosecution against the company that owns the site for illegally clearing 4 hectares of bushland.
What a joke.
FOR SALE WITH DA APPROVAL
The consensus these days seems to be to get DA approvals for outlandish developments, and after putting the community through angst, turn around and sell the property with DA approval so they can get more money for it. Putting the community through the angst again when it’s readvertised.
This has already happened once in Helensburgh. Now there are 2 places in Stanwell Park doing the same thing. A three storey site that’s now up for sale, (for the second time) and the eco-tourist place opposite. All with DA approvals.
If these developers wish to sell it with a DA approval then their intentions of being truthful about it should be made clear with the original DA submission. The problem is they see a way of making more money off a buyer with a DA approval attached. It is very sneaky, and obviously a loophole that allows this sort of deceptive behaviour. It is becoming more the norm than the exception.
The loophole is, we were going to build but realised we couldn’t afford it, so we had to sell. A loophole in the planning laws that has definitely slipped under the radar. What the seller fails to tell you is that no one was interested in buying.
The simple fix is a sunset clause that if they have to sell, the DA is over with. The new buyer can put their own in.
How about it, Minister Sartor?
Yours Sincerely,
Alan Bond | 
