|
NEWS |
|
June 2009 NEWS ARCHIVES Click here to return to the current News page
26 June 2009 HMAS Creswell gets a new lease on life: ..Yesterday’s sod turning at HMAS Creswell..marked the secure continuation of the Navy’s officer training school. The official duty was bestowed upon Rear Admiral Stephen Gilmore...the coming process of renewal would provide HMAS Creswell with the capability to meet the Navy’s training needs of the future. The project includes the refurbishment of the heritage-listed Cerberus House and the reconstruction of Geelong House. These buildings will provide accommodation, classrooms, syndicate rooms and computer rooms, along with a large auditorium and support facilities. The Royal Australian Navy School of Ship Survivability and Safety will also be upgraded. From the South Coast Register. Read more...
25 June 2009 Late in, early out of the downturn: Australia is set to soar out of its economic downturn sooner and more sharply than forecast in the budget, according to forecasts from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], understood to have the backing of the Australian Treasury.
19 June 2009 CLEAR AS MUD - Who is responsible for the jail site access debacle? Dangerous road conditions could continue to put lives and property at risk in South Nowra for the next couple of weeks as forecast rain combines with large trucks carrying dirt from the jail onto South Nowra roads. Already, there have been several accidents on the roundabout at the intersection of Central Avenue and the Princes Highway...Development approval was issued after the State Government exhibited plans showing the site being accessed via a new road connected to a roundabout at the intersection of the Princes Highway and Warra Warra Road, but the plans were changed after exhibition to give access via Central Avenue and Oxford Street. Shoalhaven City Council development manager Robert Russell said access along Nowra Hill Road should never have been allowed. “It came about only because the RTA didn’t really think out the access requirements at the outset.”...Jail project manager with Richard Crookes Constructions, David Archibold, said a sealed road connecting to Oxford Street...should be ready for use within a couple of weeks. Until then steps were being taken to minimise mud impacts. ...However the jail project faces problems beyond mud on the highway. The Australian Taxation Office is reportedly investigating union claims some of the workers on the site, working for one of companies contracting to Richard Crookes Constructions, was paying staff cash in hand and under-estimating the number of workers on site to cut down workers compensation premiums. From the South Coast Register. Read more...
18 June 2009 New housing boom set to go through the roof: As NSW recorded its lowest figures for construction of new homes, developers have predicted the worst is over and the state is on the verge of a housing boom. ...the housing industry believes this week's budget will help deliver a long-awaited turnaround. "There will be a boom," said Stephen Albin, chief executive of the Urban Development Institute of Australia. The acting head of the NSW division of the Property Council of Australia, Angus Nardi, agreed the budget announcement of a 50 per cent cut in stamp duty for the next six months on all new homes up to a value of $600,000 along with several other measures would see a dramatic change. "I think the Government has implemented a handful of measures that should bring about a boom in the residential market," he said. The Treasurer, Eric Roozendaal, signalled yesterday the Government may open further areas for development in measures to revive building activity. "I suspect there will be further announcements about opening up other areas," he said when asked whether additional measures were likely to boost housing construction. Budget estimates from the Department of Planning confirm the Government is expecting a boom. From the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more...
17 June 2009 Nuclear reaction was not positive: [J.Hatton quotes The Kiama Independent, debunking the notion that he favoured nuclear development in Jervis Bay] The Kiama Independent, Friday August 4, 1972 front-page headline was: “SHIRE PRES. STILL NOT CONVINCED: ANTI INDUSTRY” “Shoalhaven Shire President, Cr John Hatton continued his ‘I favour tourism against heavy industry growth’ theme at the official welcome at Nowra on Wednesday to delegates for the Regional Tourist Associations’ conference. Cr Hatton recently shocked many Nowra and district residents by saying that he thought more progress would be achieved in Shoalhaven by encouraging growth of the tourist industry. He said development could take place this way without destruction of the natural environment and beauty of the Jervis Bay....” The majority of Shoalhaven Council favoured the heavy industrial development proposed for Jervis Bay, hence the shock headlines. Despite my personal opposition my task as Shire President was to negotiate the best possible outcome. From J.Hatton, in a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
16 June 2009 Tourism braces for income fall: The $85 billion tourism industry is bracing for predictions that visitor numbers will fall despite the fact Australia is faring better than other countries as travel decreases globally. In December tourism chiefs forecast that visitor numbers to Australia would fall by 4.1 per cent, or more than 200,000, to 5.2 million….Global travel has already shrunk by more than 7 per cent in the first quarter of this year. The United States, Canada and Singapore have experienced falls nearly double that figure. In contrast Australia's market shrank by 1 per cent in the same period....The Tourism Forecasting Committee comprises bankers, tourism operators and demographers who study gross domestic product figures and consumer sentiment of key markets to reach their prognosis. Its next forecast is due in three weeks. The outlook comes as a report by a committee headed by the former Qantas chairwoman Margaret Jackson warned that unless the industry improved thousands of jobs were at risk and the industry's contribution to GDP could fall from 3.6 per cent to 2.5 per cent by 2030. From the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more...
15 June 2009 This campaign has just begun: I thank councillors Findley, Fergusson and Miller for keeping their election promise to support the majority view of residents. I thank and congratulate Cr Ward on his preparedness to change his mind on the controversial multi-storey hotel development in Huskisson. Yes, he and other councillors underestimated the opposition by the overwhelming majority of residents. Councillors, be warned: the objection to cherry picking, cutting corners and inappropriate developments is widespread and growing. This is precisely why the Watson development-at-any-cost councillors suffered such a crushing defeat at the last election. This campaign has only just begun. The community supports development. Of course they want job creation but not at any cost. Shoalhaven’s beauty is its biggest job creator. The fact that the majority of councillors either didn’t know of, underestimated or ignored the overwhelming opposition clearly indicates they are out of touch with voters and in touch with select developers. This hotel development sets a new benchmark. The potential is now for four and five-storey buildings to create what Cr Fergusson has called “a gloomy corridor in winter”. I agree. A wind tunnel, shadows and destruction of outdoor dining, the village feel, tourism and jobs. From J.Hatton, in a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
13 June 2009 Teenager survives meteor hit [in Germany]: A 14-year-old boy has survived being struck by a red-hot meteorite the size of a pea as he walked to school. Gerrit Blank saw a "ball of light" hurtling towards him from the sky in his home town of Essen, Germany. The tiny meteorite hit his hand, causing a seven-centimetre-long gash, before bouncing off and causing a 30-centimetre-wide crater in the ground. "At first I just saw a large ball of light and then I suddenly felt a pain in my hand," he told Britain's Daily Telegraph. "Then a split second after that there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder..” From the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more... High price to pay for our architectural ineptitude: Richard Ackland has joined the throng of critics in frustration and despair over Sydney's descent into architectural philistinism ("Emerald city has lost its soul, not just its sparkle", June 12). A few weeks ago it was the architect Philip Cox who chastised planners and developers for their lack of imagination. Ackland, Cox and many before them voice something we know only too well. Who hasn't come back from a trip to Europe full of praise for the villages, the human scale, the respect for heritage and design in heavily populated countries such as Britain, France or Italy? Here we seem to be stuck in a 1960s US development process that the Americans, having blighted much of their own country, rejected long ago.The process runs as follows. A corporation acquires land for development. A "concept plan" is proposed, with little or no regard for the community. The plan is the cheapest to construct, occupying as much of the site as possible. Objectors are fenced off with minor compromises - some landscaping, a tree or two, to "soften the impact of the development".. ..We urgently need to be much smarter about this. We are risking our tourist industry. We are dehumanising our environment. Ackland is right: we are selling our body and soul. From a Letter to the Editor, the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more...
Beachfront residents on own against sea rise: Owners of beachfront homes will get little protection or compensation from the State Government if their properties are threatened by rising sea levels caused by climate change or coastal erosion, under a plan in the course of being developed. Anger is mounting among councils and coastal communities that the Government priority will be to protect public works and public safety, creating the prospect of lengthy legal battles between councils and beachfront residents. From the Environment Editor, the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more...
12 June 2009 Huskisson needs a master plan: I write with great concern about the future of Huskisson as home to residents and the gateway to Jervis Bay. In September last year the residents of the Bay and Basin and the Shoalhaven in general made significant changes to our elected council, the goal was for us to be represented by people who would communicate with us, not at us; involve us and respect our views, not just pay lip service as was the style of the previous council; have as their prime allegiance the ratepayers of the Shoalhaven and not be swayed by vested interests.There is no master plan for Huskisson; nor is there one voice for its community. Due to the actions of vested interests, neither the tourism associations nor the chambers of commerce can claim a mandate to speak for either of these groups. The Huskisson and Woollamia Community Voice has on numerous occasions over the last years of debate on DCP54 held meetings with attendances between 100 and 200 people. The community has over this period submitted the written comments of 300 individuals and scores of submissions expressing great concern about the developer driven development process, as well as instances where ad hoc decisions are made to vary policy. In recent months and at the hands of our newly elected councillors, policy decisions have been made and DAs approved that have completely ignored the aspirations of residents and in many cases the advice of staff. And these are now council policy. What action is needed by the electors of the Shoalhaven to have representatives that will truly represent and respect our views? From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
Last-ditch bid to stop Husky hotel voted down: Plans for a hotel and conference centre in Huskisson have been given the go-ahead, despite impassioned pleas from a few Shoalhaven City councillors supported by a small number of Huskisson residents applauding their comments. Leading the charge was Cr John Fergusson, who said regardless of the application’s merits, it should not be supported because it contravened the area’s development control plan because stairwells exceeded the 13-metre height limit by about two metres. From the South Coast Register. Read more...
10 June 2009 Ward does not run the council: J.Hatton blames Gareth Ward and his “team” for Huskisson multistory development (SCR Letters, June 8). This is just John Hatton attempting to erode popular support for Gareth Ward. Gareth Ward does not have a “team”, he is not the mayor and was not the previous mayor. Is Mr Hatton suggesting that Paul Green is not running the Shoalhaven City Council? From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
Hatton’s memory seems eroded: With regard to the letter from J. Hatton slamming Councillor Ward for double standards (SCR, June 8), I must advise you that there is something wrong here. When J. Hatton was Shire President, he enthusiastically promoted a steel mill at Huskisson to be built by Armco, and this was when Huskisson had half the population it does now. He was also right behind the construction of a nuclear power plant. From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
8 June 2009 Huskisson concernsHUSKISSON, Huskisson, Huskisson! Who is driving the destruction of this dynamic area, against the wishes of the majority of the residents? Is it developers, council staff or councillors? Perhaps the general manager at council could shed some light, please. A new council, elected chiefly on the basis of listening to the people seems to once again have been hijacked. Local Environment Plans, Development Control Plans and planning policy all seem to be easily put aside. Why have planning documents at all if their parameters are constantly varied? And why have Ward 2 councillors - with the exception of John Fergusson - not supported their community in the face of a developer onslaught. Which Shoalhaven village will be next for a similar development of 54-room hotel on its prime location for residents and tourists? Look out, Shoalhaven residents, your precious village could be next. From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more... Workshop a council farceI WAS invited to another so-called Huskisson residents’ ‘workshop’ at Shoalhaven Council a week or so ago. What it turned out to be was exercise in telling us (a few residents of the village) that council will let developers get away with high rise development. Yet another case of council saying to its electors “you can object all you like, but we intend to ignore you. We will ask developers dress the ugly four-storey blocks with different types of wrappings so as to make less of an impact, but four storeys blocks they will be! ” From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more... LIVES IN DANGERLIVES are at risk in the Shoalhaven as mud left on a major roundabout [Princes Hwy with Central Avenue] by trucks accessing the jail construction site at South Nowra continues to cause accidents. On Friday morning four people were hospitalised after three cars were involved in an accident on the roundabout, which followed two accidents the previous day. The spate of accidents has even claimed a Shoalhaven City Councillor, who lost control of his four-wheel drive on the slippery, mud-caked roadway. Cr Bohdan Brumerskyj’s car suffered significant damage when it lost traction in the mud and smashed into the concrete gutter. From the South Coast Register. (with photo) Read more... Mud adds to road’s dangerMud accidentally being carried from trucks involved in construction work at the jail in South Nowra and onto the highway is creating a major hazard and has already been blamed for a large number of accidents at the Central Avenue roundabout. Editorial, the South Coast Register. Read the full Editorial... Double standards over developmentShoalhaven Councillor Gareth Ward in his bid to be member for Kiama heavily criticises State Labor, as I do for overriding local councils in local planning. From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
3 June 2009 Huscorp sues for $1.9m: Shoalhaven City Council is being sued for almost $1.9 million by development company Huscorp. The case has arisen over the company’s failed plan to build a four-star hotel on land in Bridge Road beside the council building and Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre. A statement of claim lodged with the NSW Supreme Court shows Huscorp is asking for $1,754,500, along with $120,000 in interest, $1436 in filing fees and $1122 in legal costs, amounting to a total of $1,877,058. At the centre of the claim is an allegation council deliberately withheld information from the Local Government Department in an effort to hamper the hotel’s construction. As early as March 2006 Huscorp was assured the subject land was classified as operational, so council was legally entitled to sell it, the claim stated. From the South Coast Register. Read more...
1 June 2009 Husky: delivering what the tourists want: As the owner of a property in one of the affected areas, I attended the second community workshop for the preparation of an urban design strategy for business 3 (g) zoned areas in Huskisson on Monday night…..Judging by articles in newspapers and magazines on weekends away and holiday destinations, what attracts them can be summed up by statements like “Another (after noting the proximity of the great beaches) of Husky’s charms is that it is full of old fibro cottages on huge, grass covered blocks and “the quiet NSW coastal town of Huskisson - home of quite possibly the cutest picture house in the state, a tiny weatherboard cottage set back from the road...” ...the comments in our visitors’ book are all in a similar vein: they come for the relaxed, old style coastal village atmosphere. From a Letter to the Editor, the South Coast Register. Read more...
|
|
· to open the document and external site links in a new window (for PC users): right click the mouse and select “Open in New Window”
· to expand the screen view (for PC users): hold down Ctrl while scrolling the mouse |
|
...Next year the economy should roar back 2.4 per cent, also above budget forecasts and more than any other OECD economy apart from those recovering from collapse in 2009.
From the Sydney Morning Herald. Read more... |