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MEDIA RELEASE - PRESSURE COOKER IN THE NORTH KEEPS BUBBLING
Wollongong City Councillor and Thirroul resident Cr Kerrie Christian today welcomed the interest being shown in the Thirroul by former ALP Lord Mayor David Campbell. Cr Christian explained that the council had blamed all the agitation over the last year or so as being due to Sandon Point, and ignored that there were other hot spots in the north, and increasingly in Thirroul. Residents are rejecting pressures that would see the north becoming another Cronulla, with its beachside high rise residential development.
"I hope that Dave Campbell can put some pressure on the ALP councillors because they have delivered us a lot of controversy in Thirroul," commented Cr Christian, "it was ludicrous to not expect controversy with the proposals that we have seen in the last year …. 6 storey development proposals on the Thirroul Leagues Club site, 4.5 storey/75% floor space ratio development on the Thirroul Bowling Club, pressures creeping up the escarpment with Treetop Glen, redevelopment of the Excelsior site hovering in the background, intrusions into Thomas Gibson Park sportsfield, members."
"In early January this year I warned both the Lord Mayor and General Manager about the Back to Bulli Shire Council secession movement and that the situation was going to get out of control in the north," explained Cr Christian, "and 9 months earlier I had warned them that the council needed a Director of City Planning, because having the planning manager report to an accountant just wasn't working."
Eventually a new position of City Planning Director was created and filled, 15 months after Cr Christian's recommendation, however over that period the pressure has continued to build. Wollongong Council's planning controls are well past their use by date, and having a single set of zoning controls for the whole of a city the size of Wollongong was considered far from best practice. Council is about to start to revamp its planning and may see the concept of place based planning reflecting the character of different, individual areas across the city according to Cr Christian. Discussions have been held with Ward 1 councillors, Christian and Martin and Rod Oxley and City Planning Director Mike Mouritz to look at the future of planning in Ward 1's suburbs.
"I also explained to both Rod Oxley and George Harrison that residents are getting fed up with the high rates, ie averaging at least $1200 north of Bulli Pass, which is about $500 higher than the city average," commented Cr Christian, "and they are getting fed up with putting up with a poorer standard of facilities."
"Rod Oxley has confirmed that rates in the north are out of proportion to the rest of the city for its population," stated Cr Christian, "and he has indicated that the trends suggest that it is going to get even worse after the new property valuations are used next year."
Cr Christian explained that a very large petition was being collected to have Thirroul's footpaths fixed, and that she had recently called for a report on the state of the whole city's footpaths and financing options to get them up to an acceptable standard.
"We need to spend $13 million on the footpaths across the city and the amount that we are spending will probably never allow us to ever get on top of the problem," commented Cr Christian, "and recently council staff again tried to put off looking at Thirroul, wanting to re-look at shopping centre priority lists, when Thirroul was supposed to be next on the list."
"I have argued with the General Manager that we have been waiting long enough for our turn in Thirroul and we shouldn't have to go through yet another ranking and review to get the shopping centre and footpaths fixed," stated Cr Christian.
"Development pressures are increasing across the city in fact, but are really being felt in the northern suburbs," stated Cr Christian, "and especially in Thirroul, so we need to get it right."
Authorised Cr Kerrie Christian - 7/12/2001
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Authorised - Kerrie Christian
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