NEWS

24 December 2008

Community view still not heard: “...Along with many others, we were appalled at the determination of the previous council to disregard the Coastal [Design] Guidelines for NSW and degrade the appeal of Huskisson as a coastal village by turning it into a poor imitation of the Gold Coast.

...Seeing what had occurred at 1 Beach Street, where a non-complying development had been approved, I also enrolled as a voter in the recent council elections and was pleased to see that several of the Shoalhaven Independents Group and their mayor were not elected.

You can imagine our devastation to find that the development had been approved by the new council.

So much for them listening to the community and representing their interests and wishes.” From a Letter to the Editor, South Coast Register. Read more...

22 December 2008

Hopes with new council dashed: “SHAME on you Shoalhaven City Council. You went ahead and gave approval for two ugly oversized (four-storey) buildings to be built, in a low-rise suburban street in Huskisson, and nowhere a shopping centre. These buildings will be completely out of character with their surroundings

...But before you, dear readers, shrug your shoulders and move on, take a minute or two to contemplate that this too could happen to you! You could have a 60-foot wall put up just nine feet away from your house - your ‘castle’. A wall with windows that look directly into your house, a wall that completely overshadows your home for most of the year. A giant shadow taking away your sunlight, reducing the flow of air, and making your solar panels and skylights useless.

My original letter in reply to council’s notice of the proposal was completely ignored. After my letter and article in the Register, however, council staff sent me three letters - all exactly the same. Within days of the article I also wrote to the Mayor and all the councillors. Shame again Shoalhaven Council, as I received only three brief email replies (and one sympathetic phone call).” From a Letter to the Editor, South Coast Register. Read more...

28 November 2008

“Development, building heights in Huskisson and council policy around this subject have been subjects of intense debate over the past year. I believe the local community spoke its mind on these and many other issues at the recent council elections by voting for councillors spruiking ‘for the community’, ‘for the environment’, ‘for families’ and ‘for promoting local assets’. I know I did.

…Over-development is poisoning us: When we tell the local council we do not want a four-storey building adjacent to our family home, in front of our council-approved deck which takes advantage of light, breeze and views of the beautiful Jervis Bay; when we tell them we don’t want added traffic and danger in our quiet village; when we write to them opposing the vulgar shadowing which will be caused by the proposed development two metres from our home ... are they listening to us? We are part of their community. We voted for them according to their platforms of ‘community’.

Anyone who, like us, has enjoyed a summer’s afternoon with their family at Moona Moona Creek or Husky Beach would agree that the safe, clean, natural environment is why they enjoyed the sun, sand and water. I am sure they would not pine for a row of four-storey buildings lining the sand.

Let us all hope the councillors are truly listening to their community – the people who live in it; the people who want to live in it because it is beautiful and even those willing to risk the dangers of spiders!” From a Letter to the Editor, South Coast Register. Read more...

24 November 2008

No place for four storeys: “Councillors recently considered a staff report on the latest amendment to the Development Control Plan for the central area of Huskisson. One of the options in the report was for three storeys on the northern side of Owen Street and four storeys on the southern side, without any height bonuses. This is exactly the position that was recommended by staff in April last year - more than 18 months ago - following more than 80 community submissions....A series of four-storey waterfront developments in Huskisson is being supported by council without any clear policy, but clearly against the wishes of the community, visitors and the Department of Planning. The department advises that development in these areas should be of a lesser scale than the central area of Huskisson. The impact on neighbours of a proposed four-storey waterfront development in Jervis and Beach Streets (Register, November 19) is staggering.” From a Letter to the Editor, South Coast Register. Read more...

19 November 2008

Apartment block casts big shadow over couple’s life: CONRAD and Kay Boreham were horrified to learn their single-storey Huskisson home could be overshadowed by a proposed four-storey apartment block next door. A development application lodged with council for the land, not governed by a development control plan, has been determined as “approval imminent” and residents believed it was likely the DA would be accepted by council.

The Borehams’ Beach Street home was redesigned recently with wheelchair access, wider doors, ramps, special bathroom fittings and a flow-through kitchen to accommodate Mrs Boreham’s deteriorating mobility. The lot next door currently has a single-storey dwelling some metres from the boundary, with a two-storey property on the Jervis Street lot behind..

..“We have solar hot water, sky windows and a skylight... when we have further funds we planned on installing solar electricity panels to further reduce our retirement costs.” But those measures may soon be overshadowed by the four-storey development on the property next door of which council approval was imminent. “Council has approved our house plans... how then can it approve a solid block of a building to be built next door which will grossly affect our ability to use many of its design features, taking most of our sunlight?

“In winter the proposed building...will throw shadow that would cover about 90 per cent of our home. “Their shadow pattern lodged with the council is misrepresented. It is based on a shadow pattern of an earlier proposal for three two-storey townhouses.” From the South Coast Register. Read more...

Husky debate sparks up: HUSKISSON business owners have called on Shoalhaven City Council to make a final decision on the Huskisson draft development control plan (DCP) 54. President of the Huskisson Chamber of Commerce (HCC), Paul McGroder said business owners would like to see the draft development control plan adopted, bringing to an end the nine-year debate. Draft amendment four of the plan was exhibited in June for public comment and the response from the community was overwhelmingly against the height provisions that could see three and four-storey development in the town’s CBD. Many of the submissions came from members of the Huskisson Woollamia Community Voice (HWCV). But Mr McGroder said he believed the group did not speak for the business owners. “The Huskisson Chamber of Commerce wants to see three or four storeys in the CBD with the bonus level provisions.” From the South Coast Register. Read more...

17 November 2008

Council reconsiders Husky plan.. while residents voice their concerns: COUNCILLORS will attend yet another briefing on the Huskisson draft development control plan, as residents continue to overwhelmingly disagree with the proposed document....HUSKISSON Woollamia Community Voice members have once again presented council with their objections to the draft development control plan for the village.

Representing the community group, Kate Broadhurst presented a deputation to council’s development committee on Tuesday when the committee was presented with a fresh report....“HWCV supports the recommendation that councillors further examine the details of DCP54 in a councillor briefing, with a view to amending it and adopting option d, three storeys on the north and four storeys on the south of Owen Street, with no bonus provisions for extra storeys,” she said. The option to which she referred was the original recommendation made by council staff following the exhibition period in April 2007.

“You’ll be aware community feelings continue to be very strong around the issues...mainly around height, scale and views and the perception ... recommendations to the previous council were ignored,” Ms Broadhurst said. “We’d like to remind new councillors that the community supports increased economic potential in Huskisson and are not against development.

“We’d just like to see strong planning controls that are sympathetic to the scale, natural surrounds and current coastal village character as well as buildings of high quality design.” From the South Coast Register. Read more…

29 October 2008

South Coast Register is awarded for journalism: the South Coast Register was last Friday named best tri-weekly newspaper for journalism at the 2008 Country Press Association annual conference. The Register also picked up the award for best commercial supplement for its 2007 Shoalhaven Unlimited publication.

In awarding the Register the EC Sommerlad Award for Journalism in the tri-weekly category, the judges made special mention of the paper’s coverage of local government, political donations and development issues.

“The Register is always lively and this year took on the long established local mayor and some of the council over allegations on land development and political donations. The Local Government Minister even went as far as to advise the electorate not to vote for the mayor at the local government elections ... the council directed its extensive advertising away from the Register into a smaller publication.”

Judges praised the paper’s decision to stick with the big stories despite the withdrawal of council advertising.

From the South Coast Register. Read more...

Sea pool policy makes no sense: “I was amazed at the article in the South Coast Register on October 22 stating that it was too risky to open the Huskisson and Ulladulla sea pools 24 hours a day. Shoalhaven has hundreds of kilometres of unfenced coastline, yet these two pools, which are far safer than most of the coastline, remain closed at times when the public wants to use them. I tried to visit the Huskisson pool on New Year’s Day 2007, but it was closed at the height of the tourist season. At Cronulla, where I live, there are rock pools and a shark-proof enclosure, all of which are unfenced and available for us to use whenever we want to.” From a Letter to the Editor, South Coast Register. Read more...