Monday nights special development meeting and the complete lack of strategy from the Gash-ites is now entrenched.
As I previously blogged- the Local Environment Plan is about setting the future for development in the Shoalhaven and should not be time for awarding either spot rezoning's (like they did on Friday) or creating preposterous guidelines like they did yesterday.
Last nights meeting was looking primarily at Height of Building Mapping across the city. This has been a significant issue with the community and received the most volume of correspondence than any other single item.
Of course people are concerned that Shoalhaven City Council would height map the city at a homogenous 11meters.
During the last round of negotiations a compromise was set that mapped heights agreed on through development control plans into the local environment plan.
An example of this is the 'sit down in front' principle that maps certain areas of foreshore at 6.5 meters to enable view sharing. Another example is 23meters in Nowra business area.
At last nights meeting Council spent 40 mins debating the needs of one developer with an aim to set height controls on his block of land at 13m which is 2m above the city average. This block is beside the shops at St Georges Basin and is surrounded by residential subdivision.
A 13m development at this site will look like a pimple on a pumpkin-out of place and potentially unattractive. The proponent made an almost incoherent argument to justify his 13 m extension but it boiled down to it just wasn't economically viable unless it was 13m high!!!!!
I would put it to him that he shouldn't be building something that will be so out of character with the village and that is what will make it unviable- no one will want it!
Its not like Council had to award 13m last night- for just like every other person in the Shoalhaven he can put in a separate planning proposal which would go through rigorous community consultation.
Meanwhile while they were trying to work out how to give this 13m 'gift' to the developer they completely ignored the communities pleas to cap the residential area at 8.5m but left it at 11m which opens the gate for all sorts of 'pimples' to develop in essentially the seaside village of Huskisson- talk about shooting the Goose that lays the Golden Egg!!
But then it seems as though strategic vision isn't the strong point of this new batch of Councillors which is completely at odds with the indications that they have given the community.
"of course tourism is a valuable industry'
"oh I completely agree with your assertions'
But in the end the votes don't line up with the talk- say one thing- vote in the opposite way. And of course the ubiquitous one rule for the community who have already invested their combined millions in the area - and another rule for a favoured few.
Breath Amanda breath...........................
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