Arrogance, Ego, Fear and Loathing-make Berry Mga Mansion decision worse

 

Check out how this issue was previously reported in the South Coast Register

Arrogance, Ego, Fear and Loathing-make Berry Mega Mansion decision worse

Berry residents were stunned at Shoalhaven City Councils Tuesday night development committee that gave the green light to a mega mansion for Borrowdale Close.

In a debate that was often heated and interrupted multiple times by the Team Gash, Chairperson Clr Patricia White, no amount of rational argument could sway the decision of the majority of Council.

Greens Councillor Amanda Findley said, ‘The debate centred around protecting the rural amenity of the this quiet corner of Berry from a mega mansion that is resort like in its proportions’.

Clrs Findley, Guile and Kitchener were the only Councillors not to support the mega mansion and gave a variety of reasons why the application should be refused.

‘The applicant submitted the same plans to Council on a previous occasion and they were rejected, Council staff helped pre-condition Councillors by advising that an appeal in the Land and Environment Court would be lost” said Clr Findley.

‘Councillors should not be frightened into supporting an application just because of the threat of going to court, the applicant has refused to negotiate a reduction in the size of the mega mansion in the past, the mega mansion is 1500sqm. The court would force Mr Battaglia to negotiate an outcome that was more satisfactory to all parties’ said Clr Findley.

However in Mrs Findley opinion Mr Battaglia’s negotiation with the Mayor and development staff was a cynical exercise that produced very little outcome.

“Mr Battaglia has since agreed to reduce the size of the mega mansion by 10% but on a development of this proportion its barely noticeable and this agreement was made only if the application was approved, and he would take the original application to court if council rejected it”.

Councillor Findley also has concerns that an emotionally driven decision was made based on personal politics.

‘Clr Guile argued vigorously for the community of Borrowdale Close, many of his comments were ruled out of order by the chair, who later commented to me that this type of debating didn’t help the community. I advised the chair that it was her job to make a decision on the facts not on the emotion, which she advised was a hard thing to do under the circumstances’.

It’s a real shame that Council cannot take into consideration further circumstances that could warrant a deferment of the project. Mr Battaglia has links to the construction company Southern Cross that has gone into receivership owing millions to their creditors. Many people in the Shoalhaven know the pain of not being paid by a head contractor and have sought assistance from Federal member and Mayor Mrs Gash.